The Ninja and the Pirate
by Sunr1se
Summary: Due to an incident of the past, Captain Arthur Kirkland searches the Western and Eastern Seas in search of the "ghost ship" of the eastern empire. Kiku Honda is the leader of the ninjas and the Captain of one of the black ships. What happens when their paths cross? Lame Summary, and my first FanFic.
1. The Ship

"Have you heard about the 'ghost ship' from the east?" Arthur turned as he overheard some sailors talking as he headed back to his ship.

"No. I don't recall having heard of it."

"You are talking about the black ship from the eastern empire?" Arthur asked as he approached the men, who turned around to stare at him.

"Yes that one. Have you ever seen it?" asked the leader of the group.

"I have once, but it was a couple years ago. For what I remember it belongs to the emperor of the eastern lands." Arthur replied as he sat down on a crate opposite the leader. "Do you know anything about it?"

"That I do. But tell me, what is your interest in the black ship?"

"To put it simply someone on that ship is in a big debt with me. And any information you can give me will be very useful."  
The leader grinned. "Well, well. Now I know who you are. You are Captain Arthur Kirkland, the King of the Western Seas. You and a bunch of others were defeated by the black ship, but you are one of the few that actually made it back alive. Am I right?" Everyone glanced at Arthur, who just narrowed his eyes.

"Yes I am. But do tell how do you know that information?"

"Word spreads fast Captain. And it has been a couple of years since the incident happened. I also know you are Arthur Kirkland, because it is rumored that after you gained control of the Western Seas you have been hunting down the ghost ship."

"Didn't know that those news had reached this part of the West." Arthur replied calmly. It annoyed him that the demise he suffered four years prior had reached this desolate part of the west. And ever since that day he was determined to extract his revenge on the masked captain of the ghost ship. The only thing he remembered was his eyes and the sound of his voice. "Now what information can you give me on the ship?"

"It will be difficult for you to locate the ship, but you already know that," the leader told Arthur. "And it's not because reports on the ship and its whereabouts are unknown. But about six months ago the emperor has added two more black ships. What we do know is that all three black ships contain a unique flag. Each one has a black flag with one symbol on it. The symbols on the flags are a dragon, a tiger, and a crane."

"Do you know which flag belongs to the original ship?"

"That is the one piece of information that I do not know. The original ship disappeared until the other two were added to the fleet. Wish you luck on your journey Captain Kirkland," the leader added as Arthur stood up. Arthur nodded and made his way back to his ship.

_'Just you wait,'_ he thought remembering the brown eyes that shone with a liquid flame, and the calm voice that was pleasing to listen to._ 'You'll pay for what you did to me. I'll make sure of it… even if it's the last thing I do."_


	2. That Voice

Arthur looked around the sword shop as he waited for his crew to finish restocking the ship. _'The swords from the East are so different than those back home,_' he thought as he stared at the many different types that were in the shop. It had been a couple months since they had left the Western lands, and Arthur hoped that the people here would know more about the ship he was looking for._ 'We will have to leave soon. According to some of the people I have talked to a blizzard is coming, and I do not need a god forsaken storm to delay me.'_

"Here you go, the blades that you and your siblings ordered. This one is yours," the Swordsmith said interrupting his thoughts.

"Hai. It's a very beautiful blade, you have outdone yourself this time Takashi-san," a soft voice answered. "Are you sure you don't want to work for Yao-nii? You are the finest swordsmith in the land"

_'That voice...'_

"Even though it would be an honor to work under the emperor I rather live a simple life here by the ocean. Do give my regards to your siblings and tell them that when they need their swords fixed to come right over."

"Hai, I'll tell them. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu Takashi-san. Sayounara!" Arthur whipped around to see a figure dressed in black (and carrying multiple swords) quickly vanish into the mass of people. Arthur quickly followed, but to his dismay the figure had easily vanished into the crowd.

"Captain!" Arthur turned to see his first mate (and younger brother) running over. "What is it Alfred?"

"The ship is fully restocked, and you won't believe what Matthew spotted from the crow's nest!" Alfred chatted happily as both returned to the ship. Matthew was waiting for them, and like Alfred, was in a good mood.

"Welcome back, Captain!" Matthew said. Then he handed Arthur his telescope. "Look towards the South. I promise you won't regret it." Arthur just stared at the two twins suspiciously. Last time they did that they put ink on the telescope so when he put it to his face it left a black circle around his eye. After examining it he pointed it south. His eyes widened as he spotted three black ships heading in that direction. The ships were alongside one another and he spotted people travel from the middle ship to the others before they split ways.

"So… Which one do we follow Arthur?"

"The one that's headed west. Alfred you tell the crew and Matthew you go back to the crow's nest. Let's hope we follow the right one"

APHAPHAPHAPHAPHAPH

"You are right Kiku-nii, Takashi did outdo himself. Too bad he doesn't want to work for Yao-nii" Kaoru said as he, Im Yong Soo, and Meimei examined the swords Kiku had given them.

"It is, but at least Yao-nii respects his decision. Too bad he couldn't come with us." Kiku said with a sigh as the _Yù lóng_ traveled in the middle of the _Sibeliaholang-I_ and the _Tanchō_.

"I know," said Meimei with a smile. "But he is busy at the palace, which reminds me… Where are you and Im Yong Soo-nii headed?"

"Exploring, and capturing some more pirate ships." Im Yong Soo replied. Kiku just nodded in agreement.

"Kaoru-nii and I will be returning back to the palace. We need to speak to Yao-nii about some matters, and to give him his new sword. And see if we can drag him on an expedition!" Meimei exclaimed as she leapt into the air all excited. That got laughs from her older brothers. They all bid their good-bye as planks were put connecting all three ships. Kiku calmly went back to his ship and watched the other's leave.

"Where are we going, Kiku-sama?" asked Hokkaido as the ship went on its way.

"To the Western Lands, but let's head Southwest. I don't want Im Yong Soo thinking that I am following him." Kiku took out his telescope and used it to look around. He could see the other black ships in the distance, and a familiar looking ship… _'Could it be?'_ he thought as a smile played on his lips. _'So I see our paths will encounter once more. But I'm afraid you will have to continue searching. For I am not easy to catch…Arthur Kirkland'_

**Author's Notes:**

Meanings of Words:

_Hai_: Yes (Japanese)

_~nii_: Suffix that is short for niisan. Means older brother (Japanese)

_~san_: Suffix attached to names to show respect. (Japanese)

_Doumo Arigatou Gozaimasu_: Thank You Very Much! (Japanese)

_Sayounara_: Good-bye (Japanese)

_Yù lóng_: I believe this is Chinese for Royal or Imperial Dragon

_Sibeliaholang-I_: I believe this is Korean for Siberian Tiger

_Tanchō_: I believe this is Japanese for Red-Crowned Crane

**The meanings that I am not sure about are those that I got from Google Chrome, and those are the names of the ships. Hope Arthur knows what he is doing, and hopefully (****_not_****) he is following the right ship! Will try to update by next Tuesday.**


	3. The Tiger's Ship

"Get ready men!" Arthur shouted as they closed in upon the black ship. He had waited until he no longer spotted the other two ships. That way they wouldn't come to rescue this one.

"Fire the cannons!"

Im Yong Soo was in his study looking at his charts when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said without looking up from the route he was deciding. _'We will stop here and stock up…'_

"Sorry to disturb you Captain," Im Yong Soo looked up to see his first mate Seoul. "But a ship has been spotted and it's approaching us fast."

_'Would someone really dare attack us?'_ Im Yong Soo thought as he stood up. "Start getting everything ready. But try not to make it obvious. Get the cannons ready. Don't fire until they fire." Im Yong Soo reached out for the twin blades Kiku had given him "Oh. And Seoul," Seoul stopped and turned to stare at his captain who was staring at one of the blades in his hands. "Get those rockets ready, just in case."

"Yes, captain," Seoul said as he bowed and quickly went to deliver the captain's orders to the rest of the crew. Im Yong Soo finished securing both blades before heading out to the deck. Just as he reached it he heard the sounds of cannons. Almost immediately he heard the sound of his ship's cannons. He felt the impact of his ship getting hit.

_'Damn, now I have to repair the ship as well,'_ he thought bitterly as he began to shout commands at his crew.

Arthur wasn't very surprised when the other ship returned fire almost immediately, and he began to order his crew to get even closer to the black ship. _'Now all I have to do is hope that it's the right one.'_

"You think it's the one?" Alfred's voice came from behind him. Arthur turned to see that he was ready for battle.

"Even if it's not we better be ready for anything," Matthew replied as he approached. Then suddenly Matthew grabbed Alfred and shoved him to the ground. An instant later an arrow hit the mast that had been behind Alfred.

"Damn!" Alfred said as he lifted his gun and fired at the black ship. Both ships were close enough to fire with hand-held long-range weapons. They could see the ship's name written in gold, in a language none understood.

"Get ready to go aboard!" Arthur yelled as he spotted the person he believed was the captain.

"We got the wrong one, didn't we?" Matthew asked as he lowered his bow and looked at Arthur.

"We did. But it doesn't matter, if we can defeat this one we can defeat the one we are hunting down."

"What are your orders, captain?" Seoul asked as he lifted his crossbow and fired. Im Yong Soo immediately spotted the captain of the pirate ship that had attacked them.

"Capture the ship, take the captain alive. I am most curious about why he would dare attack us," Im Yong Soo then turned to the crew. Some like Seoul were firing bows, crossbows, or the couple of guns that his crew possessed. The rest were getting ready for the combat that was approaching. "Get ready! They will try to board the ship!"

As Im Yong Soo spoke he noticed that both ships were almost touching.

"ATTACK!" both captains shouted at the same time. Im Yong Soo lifted up his blades and blocked an attack from the enemy captain. All hell broke loose as the captains battled each other. Arthur and Im Yong Soo fought, each trying to get their opponent to surrender.

"Bastard!" Im Yong Soo hissed in Korean as he used his blades to deflect the bullets that Arthur fired at him. Then using one blade to reflect the bullets, Im Yong Soo used the other to try and cut Arthur down. Arthur quickly switched back to his sword and they continued to battle.

"Fire the rockets!" Im Yong Soo shouted in Korean as he lost one of his blades and was now being cornered by Arthur. Almost everyone stopped as the darkening sky was suddenly lit up in bright orange. Alfred and Matthew ran over as Im Yong Soo glared up at Arthur, who was calmly pointing his gun down at him.

"Tie him up, and what did they fire?"

"Fireworks," Matthew replied as they tied the struggling Im Yong Soo.

"I am going to assume you are the captain of this vessel?" Arthur asked as he lifted Im Yong Soo's head with his gun.

"And what if I am?"

"I believe you have the information I am looking for."

"What can I possibly know that a _pirate_ would want?" Im Yong Soo snarled as he glared daggers at Arthur, who just smirked at the fierce glare the other was giving him.

"I want to know which is the original ship."

"Why would you want to know that?"

"I have a debt to pay with the captain of the original ship."

"And what in the world makes you think I am going to hand that information to a scoundrel like you?"

_Wham_

Im Yong Soo winced and glared at Arthur who had struck him with the gun. Then Im Yong Soo started to study Arthur closely before he smirked.

"I know you; you are Arthur Kirkland, no?"

"And how would you know that? We have never met."

"The description my nii-san gave us of you. That's why I can recognize you. You sure as heck haven't changed much in the past years, _captain._" Im Yong Soo said sarcastically as he smirked at the pirate, despite the fact that part of his face stung from the blow.

"What does 'nii-san' mean?" Arthur replied after giving another blow to the person tied in front of him.

"That's classified."

"Can you at least tell me your name?"

"That's classified as well." Arthur and Im Yong Soon ended up having a glaring match before Arthur turned to the twins.

"Take him to the brig," they nodded and took Im Yong Soo away. "The rest of you who are not severely hurt take whatever's left of his crew and put them in the brig as well. I also want some of you to tie this ship to ours. And hurry because we are not going to stay here for long." Arthur left his crew to work as he went back to his quarters.

_'It's going to take me a while to make him tell me everything he knows,'_ he thought as he frowned at the route he had already sketched. He sighed and made some small corrections before deciding to retire for the night. _'We'll see what valuables that ship has tomorrow…'_

Im Yong Soo just sat there in the middle of his cell and ignored the so called 'food' that he had been brought. _'Even we give our prisoners better food than this,'_ he thought as he used his foot to push it further away. After a couple of hours he heard footsteps walking over. He smiled to himself as he recognized the person's walk.

"What took you so long, Ha-Neul?" he asked as he looked up to see his twin sister standing in front of his cell. She was holding the blades he had fought with in one hand and the keys to his cell in the other.

"Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble, but I was close enough to see your signal," she replied as she unlocked his cell. Im Yong Soo stood up, and accepted the blades back.

"Wait, Ha-Neul," she turned as he handed one of the swords back. "This one is yours, Takashi made it."

"He did? I will examine it later. We better leave before they notice my ship, and the corpses. Don't worry we have already freed your crew." Both of them quickly snuck out and using the rope that tied the _Sibeliaholang-I _to the enemy ship, they went back aboard the black ship. Both twins quickly cut the ship loose, and at Im Yong Soo's signal both ships vanished into the black night.

**Author's Note:**

(insert evil laugh here) Sorry Arthur but those fireworks were to signal to Ha-Nel to tell her that Im Yong Soo was in trouble. XD

I have no idea why I had Im Yong Soo call fireworks rockets...

**brig-** prison on a ship


	4. The Merchant Ship

"What do you mean you have no idea how they managed to escape?" Arthur glared at the twins

"We don't Arthur. No one saw them escape," Alfred said with a sigh as he looked at Matthew. "Even those that were keeping a look out saw nothing."

"Just calm down," Matthew said as he calmly looked at Arthur straight in the eye. "Worrying about something that cannot be reversed is futile. We must continue to look for the correct one."

"That's right Iggy!" Alfred exclaimed as he grinned at Arthur. "Look on the bright side! Now we have a 50% chance of running into the correct ship!"

"Yes, now stop sulking. We are lucky that one of the other ships was also headed in almost the exact direction as the one that escaped."

"Fine then, go and tell the crew to mobilize we are headed Southwest."

_Time Skip!_

"Captain Iggy!"

"Alfred, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that? And what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Sorry… I just came to tell you that a merchant ship has been spotted," Alfred said grinning, obviously not sorry for disobeying the rules… again.

"A merchant ship? From what direction?" Arthur said as he stood up and followed Alfred out of his cabin.

"The ship is just South of us. It doesn't seem to have spotted us yet."

"Tell everyone to get ready, then."

"Way ahead of you! I also came to tell you that everyone is ready for the rest of your orders."

"Let's go then."

"Lady Sakura we will be reaching land soon." Sakura looked up as Hiro walked over to her.

"Good. Any orders from him?"

"Just to stay on course and not arouse suspicion."

"That isn't so hard. Let's hope we can reach the next port soon. I seriously need to speak to him about-"

"Pirates!"

"Damn!" Sakura took out her telescope and quickly scanned around until she spotted it. "It's only one…"

"How many were you expecting?" Hiro said smiling as he handed her her katana.

"If they spotted us then he must have spotted them as well." Sakura murmured, and then she whipped around and shouted for her crew to assemble. "Listen up people! Get your weapons ready! A pirate ship is headed our way, and we need to delay them until he gets here! Get moving!" she shouted as her crew quickly begins to mobilize. She turned to see that the ship was closing the distance quickly.

"Get ready men!" Arthur commanded as they started to pull alongside the merchant ship. He swung his sword and cut down a bunch of arrows that were fired from it.

"Now!" Immediately his crew crossed the small gap between both ships.

"Fight! Don't let these scoundrels win!" Sakura shouted as she attacked one of the first pirates to get aboard her ship.

"A female captain?" Arthur murmured as he quickly hopped aboard the merchant ship. _'This ought to be interesting…'_ Sakura didn't even turn around as she blocked an attack from behind. She turned to see herself facing the captain of the pirate ship.

"You're Arthur Kirkland, I presume. The so call King of the Western Seas, no?"

"Why is such a lovely young lady, such as yourself, the captain of a merchant ship?"

"Because, that's why," she replied as they begin to battle each other.

"Just give in already. I don't harm woman." Sakura just raised an eyebrow and almost succeeded in cutting his side.

"Why? You don't think I am tough enough?" Arthur blocked her next attack and shoved her backwards. She just narrowed here eyes and started sending a torrent of blows in his direction, putting Arthur on the defensive. "For your information I have training, so I can fight as well as any man!" Before Arthur could reply the sounds of cannons being fired was suddenly heard.

"Well, well, well," Sakura said with a grin. "Looks like he finally arrived." Quickly she rose up her leg and kneed him in that one spot. And she struck him down when he doubled over in pain. Almost as soon as he hit the deck he felt a sword at his neck.

"Don't move! Or I shall kill your beloved captain right now!" Sakura said as she looked at the pirate crew. "One false move from any of you and his head comes off! Hiro! Saki! Tie him up!" Before Arthur could move his hands were quickly bound behind his back, and he was forced into a kneeling position.

"Iggy!" Arthur looked up to see everyone looking in the same direction. Then he turned his head and stared in surprise. One of the black ships was pulling alongside the merchant ship. Looking up he spotted a crane on its black flag. He blinked as the crew from the ship quickly came aboard the merchant ship and within minutes helped to restrain the rest of his crew.

"I guess my hunch was right," a voice came from the black ship. Arthur's eyes narrowed as the person calmly boarded the merchant ship. Like his crew he was wearing all black. A sword was secured to his waist by a sash. A black mask covered his face. The only thing that was visible were his fiery brown eyes. Brown eyes met green ones. "We have crossed paths once more… Arthur Kirkland."


	5. The Masked Captain

"Sensei!" Sakura quickly bowed as the masked captain walked over.

"Sakura…" Kiku looked around as he noticed that everything was under control. Giving a small chuckle he turned to her. "Looks like I didn't have to come over. You handled the situation quite well."

"Hai! You taught me well sensei," she said as she bowed again. Then Kiku glanced at Arthur who was glaring at him.

"Hejimemashite. It's been a long time Arthur Kirkland." Kiku said as he stood in front of the pirate. "So the 'King of the Western Seas' fell in my bait." Kiku said with another chuckle.

"What bait?"

"This ship," Kiku said as he squatted down and calmly looked at Arthur. "This ship is the bait. I use it to lure in pirates such as yourself. I am not very surprised you fell into it. After all what pirate can resist the sight of a merchant ship?" Kiku then lifted Arthur's head with a gloved hand. "You haven't changed much since the last time we met."

"And you still have the same attitude from years ago," Arthur replied as he moved his head out of the other's grasp.

"Why, thank you for the compliment," Kiku said, and everyone could hear the smile in his voice. "Sakura!" he called out as he stood up.

"Hai, sensei?"

"Get your crew and check the pirate ship for any stolen goods."

"Understood. Let's go people! You heard sensei!" Sakura yelled as she started bossing her crew around. Then the majority quickly boarded the pirate ship to begin their search.

"Can you answer me something? Or more like can you answer a couple of questions."

"Like what?"

"What does 'sensei' mean?"

"Teacher"

"What about 'nii-san'?"

"It means… where did you hear that word from?"

"The captain of the ship with the tiger on its flag. I think he was referring to you."

"Tora…" Kiku stayed silent for a bit before he looked at Arthur. "Sorry, but that's classified."

"Fine then," Arthur sighed annoyed at not receiving an answer. "Why did you let me go all those years ago?"

"…" Kiku blinked and sighed. "Sorry that's classified as well. But I do have reasons for letting you go all those years ago."

"Then I challenge you to a duel."

"A duel?"

"Yes. If I win you tell me everything I want to know, and both ships surrender."

"And if I win?"

"…I'll surrender and you get to decide what to do with me," Arthur said through gritted teeth.

"Very well then, I accept your challenge. Hokkaido, please untie him and give him his weapons back."

"Yes sir," Arthur rubbed his wrists as they were freed, and he took back his sword and gun. He straightened up, and after making sure he was ready, he turned to face his opponent.

"Just to let you know I have no intention of losing." Kiku calmly said as he pulled out his katana.

"Neither am I!" Arthur said as he lunged at Kiku who blocked his attack. Both crews stood by and watched as their captains fought each other. When Sakura and her crew returned (with all the goods they could find) they joined the spectators.

After a while they broke apart and began circling each other. So far none of them had sustained any serious injuries. This time Kiku lunged for Arthur first. Arthur pulled out his gun and fired at him. Using the katana Kiku blocked all of the bullets. Arthur fired a couple more shots before lunging for Kiku. Kiku danced out of the way of the bullets, and quickly blocked Arthur's attack before Arthur could strike him down.

_'Damn he's fast,'_ Alfred thought as he moved his hands in an attempt to try and loosen them up. _'Come on, Iggy. Don't let him win."_ Gasps came up and Alfred looked at the battle scene again. The katana was laying a couple of feet away from Kiku, who was looking up between the blade pointed at his face to the smirking pirate above him.

"Looks like I have won."

"You haven't won yet!" Kiku said as he swung his leg and hit the pirate at the back of the knee, and at the same time he pulled out a small blade (Wakizashi). Using the blade he knocked the sword out of the pirate's hand, and in a swift move he was pinning the pirate down. Almost as soon as Kiku had the wakizashi at Arthur's neck he felt the barrel of Arthur's gun on the side of his head.

"Go on," Kiku said as he looked at Arthur. "Fire."

"You are not afraid of death are you?"

"No, I am not. But that's beside the point. Don't tell me you have forgotten how many times you have shot that thing?"Kiku smiled as Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Six times. You fired six times. In order words," Kiku reached up and yanked the gun out of Arthur's grasp before tossing it away. "The gun has no more bullets, and you never had the chance to reload."

"Sensei, what do we do now?" Sakura asked as she walked over with Hokkaido. "We already found all of the stolen goods the ship had."

"Take Arthur's crew back to their ship. But leave them tied up." Both nodded and quickly got their crews to transfer the prisoner's over. "Hiro, Saki. Get over here I need you." Both of them ran over.

"What is it, sir?"

"Tie him back up, and make sure he has nothing that can help him escape." Kiku said as he stood up. While both of them searched and tied Arthur back up Kiku walked over and retrieved his fallen katana.

"Now what?" Kiku turned to see that they had finished already.

"Take him back to his ship… and tie him to the mast," Arthur's eyes widened as he remembered their last encounter years ago.

"Bastard!" Arthur yelled as he struggled against them. Hokkaido joined them, and between all three of them they tied him to the main mast.

"Sakura, Hokkaido let's go." Kiku said as he ignored Arthur's insults. He shot one look at Arthur before both ships left the pirate ship and its tied crew.

**Author's**** Note:**

The wakizashi has a blade between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in). The wakizashi being worn together with the katana was the official sign that the wearer was a samurai or swordsman of feudal Japan. When worn together the pair of swords were called daishō, which translates literally as "big-little". The katana was the big or long sword and the wakizashi the companion sword **Taken from Wikipedia**


	6. The Bad Touch Trio

"Are you sure it's okay to leave them like that?" Kiku turned to look at Hokkaido. They had already boarded their own ship and were once more following Sakura at a safe distance.

"Yes, one of two things could happen. The first is that they could be found by another ship, or that they miraculously make it to the closest shore."

"And the second?"

"Neither of those things happens and they all perish," Kiku said with a sigh a he looked at the ocean again. "But I am willing to bet anything option number two isn't going to happen."

"How come you believe that?"

"I have already done this to him once in the past. So I am positive he and his crew are somehow going to get out of it again." Kiku then reached into one of the sleeves of his kimono and took out a gun.

"Where in the world did you get that from?" Hokkaido asked as Kiku studied the gun.

"It's his gun. I forgot all about it until we were a pretty good distance away from them. It was still on the same spot where it landed after I threw it." Kiku lifted the gun and pointed it at the sea. "I've never used one of these things before."

"What are you planning to do with it? We don't have gunpowder or the bullets to make that thing work."

"What else? I am going to keep it. I am sure that he probably has noticed by now that it's missing. This means we better expect him after our trial. I heard this gun is pretty valuable to him."

"You could sell it, or give it to Im Yong Soo. He's the only one that uses those things."

"What's the point of giving it to him? The pirate will still be after our trial so I don't see the purpose of doing that. Besides things might become interesting the next time we meet."

"Wasn't it bad enough that you already confronted him twice? Why do you wish to encounter him for a third?" Kiku remained silent as he lowered the gun and stared at the sea.

"I need to ask him some things. There's something that's been bothering, but due to the fact he keeps on attacking me I haven't had the chance to," he finally replied as he put the gun away. "Are we still going according to schedule?"

"Despite the little setback we had we are still on schedule. We should be reaching the next port in two days time."

"Good, then that means we can go home… in about four months."

"You are excited to see the little one again, no?" Hokkaido asked as he looked at his captain.

"Of course I am! It's been a while since I had time to be with him. I hope he hasn't slacked off in his training since I am not there to keep an eye on him."

"Knowing him he can probably already wield a katana perfectly."

"I kind of doubt it, he is still young. But knowing Yao-nii he probably knows some martial arts already."

"The way you put it its like one was waiting to slack off and the other was waiting to take over for the training!" Hokkaido said as he and Kiku started laughing.

"It does, doesn't it? But now that I think about it I think the only one that's real is option number two."

"Guess you are right. You definitely have worked miracles on that child."

"I know," Kiku said as he looked back at the calm blue sea. "After all, he was a gift from the sea."

**APH**

Isn't there anyone here that can get themselves untied?"

"I'm trying to, but it's a bit difficult slipping out of these knots," Alfred replied. "Wait up. Let me see if there's anything sharp near me…"

"Hurry up all of you! We don't need anyone to find us in this state!"

"Hey Matthew! Is there anything sharp near you?"

"Ontario, how about you?"

"Negative on that one, sir. But I believe we have been spotted by another ship."

"What makes-" Arthur fell silent as he spotted a familiar looking ship approaching from the East.

"Oh no! Why did it have to be them out of everyone who is in the freaking area?"

"Shit! I can already hear the bird and the frog!" Everyone watched as the other ship pulled up alongside theirs. As soon as the other ship was next to the three figured hopped aboard.

"My, my. How did you get into this predicament, mon ami?"

Stop standing there and untie us you frog!"

"Don't worry the awesome me will help!" Gilbert grinned as he walked over to Arthur and cut the ropes that kept him pinned to the mast.

"So Arturo, mi amigo, ¿Que paso? What happened?" Antonio asked as he freed Alfred.

"The masked captain," that was all the Trio needed to hear in order to understand what happened.

"So you found him?

"It's more like we found each other."

"Did you manage to find out who he was?"

"Nope, Iggy challenged him to a duel, but the other one defeated him and that's the reason you found us tied up… again." Alfred replied as he handed Arthur back his sword. "Sorry Iggy, but I can't find your gun anywhere."

"Damn, that bastard must have taken it."

"Which one? The one father left for you?" Matthew asked as he was helped off the deck by Francis.

"Unfortunately, it's that one."

"At least we know which ship is the correct one," Matthew sighed as he glanced towards the West. "If I remember correctly they headed towards the coast."

"That's like what? Two to three days away?"

"It doesn't matter, now we know the ship we need to look for is the one with the crane…"

**Author's Note:**** I am lazy about coming up with names, so all I am doing is looking at the many maps I have and grabbing random cities, states, or territories. For those that I actually put a name for:**

**Sakura: Tokyo  
Hiro: Hiroshima  
Saki: Nagasaki**

**I am actually working on two new AsaKiku projects. And one will hopefully be posted on Monday. My internet still doesn't work. So I have been using my school's internet to post all of this week. I don't mind. It actually gives me an excuse to not be in the house all day... The other AsaKiku will (hopefully) be posted sometime in November. I suck at poem writing and I need poems for that one. *gloom***

**This story is different than Fear Garden, and the other two are as well. Heh, let's see if I can put Chapter 7 up before I have to go home. If not Ch 7 will be posted on Monday!**


	7. The Dragon Arrives Home

"Thanks for all your help."

"Don't worry about. Good Luck!" Matthew sighed as he walked out of the shop and headed back to the ship. The Trio had already left, saying something about going further up North. They had reached the port a couple of days ago, and were staying in order to repair the ship, stock up, and get information.

"Hey Matt!" Matthew turned to see Alfred running over. "Got any useful information?"

"Yes, I was headed back to the ship to tell Arthur. What about you?"

"I did too! Come on let's go before he gets more impatient than what he already is."

"Not our fault we have to repair the ship," Matthew sighed as they hurried to the ship. They spotted Arthur talking to Lydia (the ship's cook). They both waited until they finished talking and headed over to Arthur.

"Yo! Iggy! The hero has arrived with information!" Alfred exclaimed as he grinned at Arthur who looked at him, slightly startled.

"And here I thought you got out of the habit of saying that," Arthur said as he gave Alfred a bump on the head. "Did you two get any good information?"

"Yes, I managed to find out that the black ship is docked further up ahead. I even saw it myself," he added as Alfred and Arthur stared at him. "Someone told me that it arrived with a merchant ship. But that the merchant ship left already."

"They must be stocking up as well," Arthur said as he looked at Alfred. "And why are you so excited?"

"Because I found out that he _does_ have your gun!" Now it was Matthew's turn to stare as he looked at his brother, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"How in the world did you find out that piece of information?" Arthur asked him.

"I was wandering around asking if anyone by any chance saw the captain or any of the crew of the ship. I found someone who did. Do you guys remember Vash?"

"Of course we do! He's the one that provides the guns and ammunition we don't take from others. What about him?"

"He told me that the captain of the… I think he said the ship's name is _Tanchō… _or something like that. Anyway he said the captain came to him and bought some ammunition for a gun that matches the description of the one father gave you! Plus he asked for a quick lesson on how to use it."

"Who does that bastard think he is!" Arthur growled as he looked at Matthew. "Did you find out when they plan to leave?"

"From what the person I found said they are leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"Try to see if you can find anyone that knows where they are heading. We will leave two days after they do. I don't want him to notice we are following him until we are upon him."

"Yes, sir!" both twins said as they turned and headed back to continue their search.

**APH**

"Meimei! Kaoru! It's so good to have you back!" Yao exclaimed as he hugged his younger siblings after they had gotten of the _Yù lóng_.

"Nii-san, we missed you!" Meimei exclaimed as she hugged him back. "Why couldn't you have come with us?"

"I already told you. I was busy attending to very important matters. Honestly, you guys sometimes pick the worst timings to go on expeditions."

"Sorry, nii-san," Kaoru said with a sigh as he just stood there as Yao hugged him. "The others were leaving and we wanted to go as well."

"I understand. Now come, we have a lot of things to talk about."

_Time Skip_

"So how did the trip go?" Yao asked as they were all sitting on cushions around the small table in Yao's room.

"It was fantastic! Kiku-nii took us to up north so that we could see what it's like over there!"Meimei exclaimed. "The lands are so beautiful up north!"

"They are, but it's sad that they didn't take us to see what the Western lands look like," Kaoru calmly said as he sipped some of his tea.

"That part did suck," Meimei murmured as she ate one of the dumplings. "How's the little one doing Yao-nii?"

"He's doing fine. I have taken over some of his training as well."

"He hasn't slacked off?"

"No he hasn't. He's still determined to follow Kiku's footsteps," Yao replied with a smile as he looked at Meimei's expression. "Unlike the four of you, Im Yong Soo and Ha-Neul included, he actually attends all of his lessons."

"Kiku-nii really has a lot of influence over him," Meimei sighed as she munched on another dumpling.

"What do you expect? He raised him," Kaoru said as he got one as well. "And Meimei the food is for all of us not just you." Meimei shot him a look, but Kaoru just ignore her.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Meimei exclaimed as she got up. "Wait up; I need to get Yao-nii something." Yao and Kaoru just stared as she opened the sliding door and left. After a while they heard the running footsteps and she ran back in closing the door behind her.

"Here Yao-nii. Takashi made this for you," Meimei said as she sat back down and handed the blade to Yao. Yao took it and pulled the blade out of its sheath.

"It's a Jian," Yao murmured as he studied the blade. "Looks like he put a lot of effort into making this."

"I know, huh! Im Yong Soo-nii said that he was going to go visit him again before he returns. I think he said Takashi had some more weapons for us."

"Are you two planning to go out again?" Yao asked as he put the sword away.

"Not until Im Yong Soo-nii and Kiku-nii return," Kaoru replied as he put his tea cup down. "Why do you ask sensei?"

"Because if I am not busy when they return I will go with you guys on your next trip."

"Really! Yay! Thanks Yao-nii!" Meimei exclaimed as she got up and pounced on Yao. Kaoru just shook his head as Yao laughed and hugged Meimei back.

**AUTHOR'S**** NOTE:**

The_ jian_ is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. Historical one-handed versions have blades varying from 45 to 80 centimeters (17.7 to 31.5 inches) in length. The weight of an average sword of 70-centimeter (28-inch) blade-length would be in a range of approximately 700 to 900 grams (1.5 to 2 pounds). **Taken from Wikipedia**

**Lydia: London**


	8. The Crane's Battle

Kiku sighed as he headed for the railing to gaze at the sea. They had left the port a couple of days ago and now they were headed North, but still on the Western side of the world. He could hear the sounds of his crew as they did their usual chores aboard the_Tanchō._

_'Why are you so restless, my dear tomodachi?'_

"Oh, Kiku there you are," Kiku turned to see Hokkaido walking over.

"Hello sensei, how's everything running?"

"No problems. With this wind we will reach our destination in no time."

"Plus it makes the sea restless," Kiku added as he turned to stare back at the deep blue sea.

"I hope that a storm doesn't come," Hokkaido sighed as he and Kiku looked at the sea. "I would really appreciate it if we have no disturbances on our way back home."

"Kiku-sama!" Kiku turned to see Osaka, who was in the crow's nest.

"What is it?"

"We are being followed by that pirate ship that attacked Sakura-san's ship."

"The _Mary Celeste_?"

"Yes, that one."

"So much for an undisturbed trip," Kiku sighed as he looked at Hokkaido. "Get everyone ready. I need to go change before they confront us." Hokkaido nodded and started bossing the crew as Kiku headed to his cabin. Kiku changed into one of his black kimonos. After he put on his gloves he went and got hold of his two swords. After securing them in place he found the gun he had taken, and some of his smaller blades. He carefully hid the blades and then hid the gun in the sleeve of his kimono (after making sure it was loaded). Then he grabbed his mask and was putting it on as he went back with the others.

He immediately spotted the _Mary Celeste_ as it approached. "Fire!" Kiku shouted as the _Tanchō_'s cannons fired. Almost immediately the _Mary Celeste_'s fired as well.

"He didn't even hesitate," Alfred shouted as the two ships continued firing at each other.

"And he fired first," Matthew added as he got his bow ready.

"Aw, come on. You can't always expect to be the one to fire first," Arthur said snickering as he spotted his target. "Besides I have a feeling victory will be mine before the day is over."

"And what makes you say that?" Alfred asked as he and Matthew glanced at each other.

"They are coming aboard!" Alberta's voice caused them to turn around and spot some of the ninjas on their ship already.

"I'll take Augusta with me and invade their ship," Alfred said as he took off to find her. Matthew rushed off and began firing arrows at the _Tanchō._ Arthur spotted a familiar looking figure land on his ship. The brown eyes of the ninja met the green eyes of the pirate. Then both of them lunged and started battling one another.

"When are you going to stop chasing me?" Kiku asked as their swords continued colliding as they danced around one another.

"Until I make you pay for everything that you have done to me," Arthur replied as Kiku dodged a blow and resumed attacking him.

"You are so stubborn. Why don't you just leave the past in the past? Nothing you do will change what has occurred."

"Shut up! What could you possibly know about having past sufferings?"

"Plenty. That's why it's best to leave it in the past," Kiku punctuated every word with a blow as they continued battling.

"Like what?"

"That's classified." Arthur just narrowed his eyes and began to put Kiku on the defensive as they continued battling. Arthur calmly cornered Kiku who in turn took the gun out of his sleeve and pointed it at Arthur.

"Do you even know how to fire that?"

"No, but I doubt I will miss with the distance that's between us."

"How do I even know that it's loaded?"

"If you wish I can shoot you to test it out." Arthur momentarily distracted Kiku by pretending he was going to stab him. Kiku shifted out of the blade's path. At the same time that he squeezed the trigger, Arthur grabbed his hand and twisted it upward.

_'Damn. The gun really is loaded.'_ Arthur thought as he and Kiku started struggling for possession of the gun. Sometime during their struggle the gun fired three times. Kiku then shoved Arthur away, who in turn yanked the gun out of his grasp.

"Minna!" Kiku shouted as he quickly moved before Arthur could corner him again. "Ikou!" Kiku's crew quickly reacted and they immediately went back to the _Tanchō._

"We shall resume our fight another time pirate! But for now we take our leave," Kiku said before he went back to his ship, which calmly left the battle scene.

"What the hell!" Alfred gasped as he was helped up by Matthew. "He attacks first, and then he flees."

"Arthur, are you ok?" Matthew asked as he looked towards their captain.

"I'm fine. I got father's gun back," Arthur checked the gun to see that it still had two more bullets. "Matthew, Alfred. Check everyone for injuries and quickly inspect the ship. We are going after them."

"Yes, sir!"

**Author's Note:**

The Mary Celeste was an American brigantine merchant ship famous for having been discovered on 4 December 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean, unmanned and apparently abandoned (one lifeboat was missing, along with its 7 crew), although the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and capable seamen. The Mary Celeste was in seaworthy condition and still under sail heading toward the Strait of Gibraltar. The crew was never seen or heard from again. The Mary Celeste crew's disappearance is often cited as the greatest maritime mystery of all time. **Taken from Wikipedia**

Meanings of words:

Tomodachi: Friend

**Minna:** Everyone

**Ikou:**Let's go


	9. Twilight's Inferno

**Warnings: Multiple Character Death, Depressing Flash Backs (**_which are going to be written in Italics_**), Possible Ideological Sensitive Material, and Tragedy.**

"Stay still, I almost have it out."

"I am staying still! …Sorry sensei. I am just annoyed he wounded me for real this time." Kiku said as Hokkaido began bandaging his leg.

"How did it happen?"

"It was when we started fighting over the gun. During the struggle he pulled the trigger three times."

"You are lucky he only hit you once then. But for you to get better I need you to rest for now."

"Can you take care of the ship for me?"

"Of course. Now rest and I will come back later with the report." Kiku nodded and he watched Hokkaido leave. Then he carefully sat up and beginning cleaning his swords.

_Boom_

Kiku struggled to get up as the _Tanchō _rocked with the impact. He was almost knocked back down as the ship was repeatedly hit. He quickly adjusted his kimono he was wearing and secured both swords to it. He stumbled towards the door as he pulled on his mask and gloves. He grabbed onto the doorway as the ship was hit once more. He quickly hurried outside to see the _Mary Celeste_ pulling up alongside the _Tanchō._

"Attack! Don't let them take the ship!" Kiku shouted as he moved out of the way of several arrows.

_'There he is!'_ Arthur grinned as he ran to where Kiku was. Kiku barely turned around in time to block his attack with his katana.

"What do you want, now?" Kiku snapped as he shoved Arthur away.

"Your surrender," Arthur replied as he once more forced Kiku on the defensive. It didn't take Arthur very long to realize that Kiku was moving slower than usual, and that he was mostly putting his weight on his left leg. Moving quickly Arthur misbalanced Kiku and successfully pinned him down. He tore the katana from the gloved hand. Then before Kiku could recover he grabbed both of his arms and pinned them with one hand above his head. Then he reached got hold of the mask and yanked it off.

Kiku closed his eyes as he felt the fabric being torn from his face. Then he opened his eyes and glared at the smirking pirate above him. Then Kiku struggled to break free from Arthur's grasp in order to get hold of the wakizashi he still possessed. Then Arthur used both of his hands in order to keep Kiku pinned down.

"Just admit it, you lost."

"Never! I'll never admit such thing!" Kiku struggled even harder with no effect. Eventually he just continued glaring at Arthur. _If looks could kill…_

"Hey Iggy!" Arthur looked up to see Alfred. "We got hold of the ship. What do you want us to do?"

"Raid the ship of all of its treasures, "Arthur tightened his grip on Kiku who had resumed struggling. "I also want you to tie up their crew."

"Understood. I'll get Matthew to help me," Alfred said as he left.

"So, you are going to do the exact same thing I did to you?" Kiku asked as he stopped struggling due to the pain in his leg.

"No, I am not. I told you I was going to make you pay. I will also make you regret having crossed my path all of those years ago." As he spoke Arthur took out a piece of rope and then he tied Kiku's hands together tightly. Then he quickly checked Kiku for weapons. The only one he found was the wakizashi which he quickly confiscated. Arthur then stood up got the katana, and took the sheath away from Kiku before handing the weapons to one of his men.

"Take this to where we keep the weaponry," then Arthur grabbed Kiku and roughly forced him on his feet. Kiku hissed in pain as Arthur mercilessly pulled him along. "Are you guys done?"

"Yes, we have already stripped the ship of all its valuables, and the crew is tied up just like you ordered."

"Good then. Let's go." Kiku stumbled and almost fell when Arthur dragged him aboard the _Mary Celeste_. Kiku twisted in Arthur's grasp and turned to look at his ship and his crew. Then he collapsed awkwardly on his knees when Arthur roughly twisted him around and he lost his balance. Pain shot through his right leg as it slammed against the wooden deck. He could hear the sneers and laughter from the pirate crew, but he ignored them as Arthur got his chin and he found himself too close for comfort with the pirate's face.

"What do you want you filthy scum!"

_Slap_

"Stop with the insults, love. You are nothing but a prisoner now. Now, will you be kind enough to tell me your name?"

"I have no name to give to the likes of you," was all Arthur got as a reply. He sighed and turned towards his archers. "You may fire now." Kiku barely looked up in time to see a lot of flaming arrows fly overhead and land on the _Tanchō._ Immediately he tried to lunge forward but Arthur caught him around the waist and prevented him from throwing himself overboard.

"No! Hokkaido!" Kiku screamed as he tried to break free of the pirate's grasp. He struggled to ignore the burning pain in his leg as he tried to use it to kick the pirate away. "Sensei! Sensei!"

_"… and you hold it like this."_

_"Like this sensei?" Kiku asked as he looked up at Hokkaido._

_"Yes, like that. Now do what I do."_

_…_

_"Yao-nii!"_

_"I see your training has gone well. How has he been doing Hokkaido?"_

_"He has definitely improved. He's such a fast learner."_

_"I can see that. Why don't you two join me for some tea?"_

_"Hai! Let's go sensei!"_

"No! No!"

_"… come, hurry we mustn't waste any time." He took the extended bloody hand of the person that had done everything in his power to give him a better life. The person that gave him two last gifts before disappearing into the flames that enveloped the ship…_

"No! No!"

_The ship was being swallowed by both fire and water. The falling rain was doing nothing to help quench the anguish he felt as he hugged one of the gifts that person gave to him. The person that gave him a gift in order to learn how to fend for himself and the gift of life by casting him into the protective arms of the ocean…_

"No! No!"

_The clear blue sky was being coated in black smoke as the ship approached. The raft that was made using a chunk of the deck was holding a gift that the sea had delivered to him. A gift that the sea had taken from the burning ship in the distance…_

"No! No!" Kiku continued to fiercely struggle against Arthur. Trying to somehow save the _Tanchō_ and get away from the bitter sweet memories of his past. He twisted and managed to give the pirate a blow to the face using his bound hands. He managed to slip away, but the searing pain in his leg prevented him from reaching the railing before Arthur caught him again. Kiku continued crying as Arthur prevented him from throwing himself into the ocean.

"…no…sensei…gomen…" Kiku whispered as his strength failed and he collapsed against Arthur. He continued to weep quietly as the pirate began ordering the crew around. "…once more…" he whispered as Arthur lifted him up bridal style.

"I'll be in my quarters. I don't want anyone to come disturb me until tomorrow," Arthur said as he headed below deck. The _Mary Celeste_ turned and continued on its way, leaving the _Tanchō _to burn. The ship continued to burn as the sun began sinking into the ocean, giving its reign to the moon. The black flag fell quietly into the water as the ship slowly sank alongside the sun…

_'…one more… I have lost everything… to the pirates of the west…'_

_**Author's Note:**_

_Don't kill me..._

I know, I know... I write stories that have some sort of tragedy in them. I'm sorry about that. The next chapter will have yaoi on in... but as usual you are free to skip it...


	10. Hell's Beginning

**Warnings: This chapter contains non-con yaoi. Don't like, don't read. You are free to skip to the next chapter it contains some information about one of the things Kiku was remembering at the end of Chapter 09.**

Kiku was feeling numb, unaware of his surroundings as Arthur carried him off. The images were playing in his head over and over. The blurry memories of his past and the agonizing one from the present. He wanted to scream and attack the person carrying him. The person who took part of his family away. But the ropes around his wrists prevented him from doing so. He wanted to die. Death was better than the agonizing pain and suffering he was going through.

Arthur looked down at his prisoner. The brown eyes that had shown defiance were now dully staring at nothing. He had stopped crying, but his puffy red eyes and the tear streaks on his face remained. He smiled as he remembered how he had reacted when he had ordered the _Tanchō_ to be burned, with the crew onboard. Balancing his prisoner he opened the door to his quarters. Then he went and placed him down on his bed before heading to lock the door.

Kiku felt himself being placed on something soft. "Shinitaiyo," he murmured as he rolled over on his side, wincing as his right leg reminded him of his injury. He was totally unaware that Arthur had returned as he felt the soft surface cave in a little. All he did was move his bound hands to his face and bit down on one of his fingers to stop himself from sobbing out his sadness and misery once more.

"Sorry little one, but that's what you get for messing with a pirate on more than one occasion," Arthur murmured as he ran his fingers through Kiku's silky black hair.

"Shinitaiyo," Kiku repeated as he tried to shift away from Arthur's hand.

"Care to tell me what it means?" Kiku remained silent, and just hid his face behind his bound hands. "So you are not going to tell me. That's alright. Maybe I can get it out of you. For I am not done yet." As he said this he flipped Kiku around, grabbed his hands, and bound them to the headboard.

"Eh?" The sudden movement somewhat snapped him out of his shocked state. He blinked and tried to cover his face again. Noticing he couldn't move his hands he looked up and noticed they were bound to something. Blinking he started to fight the restrains until he sensed movement. He moved his head and found himself staring into Arthur's green eyes. "Go away."

"Sorry, love. But you are in no position to be ordering me around." Arthur snickered when Kiku's eyes slowly started to burn with raw hatred.

"Go away! What more do you want? Wasn't it enough taking a portion of my life away!" Kiku practically yelled at him. "Shine! Shine! Shine!"

"I don't want just a portion of your life," Arthur murmured as he kissed the startled Kiku. "I want all of your life. Every single part of it."

"No! Never!" Arthur chuckled at the defiance that was once more shining in those brown eyes. Kiku forced himself to continue glaring at the pirate. He didn't want the bastard to see how much the death of his crew had really affected him. The feelings he was showing were nothing but a mask to hide his real emotions. All he wanted was to be left alone so he could suffer in solitude.

"I am not asking you for it, love. I am going to take it whether you like it or not. In other words you belong to me now." As he spoke he kissed Kiku and forced his tongue into the other's mouth. Kiku gagged and struggled to break free. Then with all the strength he could muster he bit down. Arthur recoiled and slapped him.

"You made me bleed." Arthur said as he turned his head and spat out some blood.

"Serves you right, hentai!" Kiku snapped the left side of his face stung from the blow he had received. Kiku resumed struggling when Arthur began pulling his kimono open. Arthur noticed that Kiku's pale body had a fair amount of scars on it. Then he touched the blood-stained bandage Kiku had wrapped around his leg.

"So I was right, I did manage to hit you," Arthur said as he bent down and licked the pale skin. Kiku flinched as a strange sensation went through him as Arthur started to lick his nipples.

"Ya… Yamete!" Kiku gasped as the strange feeling started to get stronger. He was beginning to get frightened for it was something that he had never experienced before. As the feeling grew he started to lose his resolve, and he gave out a small moan. Arthur smiled and took whatever clothing was still protecting Kiku's lower half.

"Na… nani…" Kiku began before gasping as Arthur took him in the mouth. "Yamete! Onegai…" The strange warm feeling from before had gotten stronger, and it was beginning to cloud his mind. Kiku emitted soft gasps and moans as Arthur continued. After a while Arthur pulled back, snickering, and kissed Kiku again. Then he spread Kiku's legs and began to trace the small opening.

"Yamete," Kiku whimpered, and he gave out a sob as he tried to squirm away. He screamed as Arthur pushed one of his fingers in. The pain got worse as Arthur continued to push it in. It ached and burned at the same time. Arthur administered a second, and then a third finger, all the while smiling as Kiku continued to give out noises of agony. Kiku eventually quieted down, and just lay there, crying. He whimpered in pain as Arthur took his fingers out.

"Yamete… onegai… shimasu… itai…" Kiku whimpered as Arthur positioned himself.

"Sorry, love. I don't understand your native language." Kiku screamed as Arthur entered him. The pain was a thousand times worse than before. He continued crying out in pain as Arthur forced himself all the way in. Then Arthur pulled most of the way out before thrusting back in.

"Ahh! Onegai… yamete…" Kiku continued to cry out in agony as Arthur ruthlessly continued moving. Then after a while Arthur shifted and grabbed Kiku's slender hips to deepen his thrusts. Kiku gave out a moan as Arthur struck a certain spot within him. Kiku's agony was now accompanied by a stronger and more intense version of the strange warm feeling from before. Arthur grinned as Kiku slowly began moving along with him. Stopping momentarily he grabbed his dagger and cut Kiku's hands free from the restraints.

"Here," Arthur murmured as he pulled the dazed Kiku closer to him. "Cling on to me. It will make the pain you are feeling go away." Shifting a little he got hold of Kiku's long legs and wrapped them around his waist, and then he grabbed Kiku's arms and wrapped them around his neck before he continued thrusting into him. Without being fully aware of it, Kiku begin clinging on to Arthur as he gave in to the intense pleasure the pirate was giving him. Arthur smiled to himself as he sensed the change in the ninja.

Then Kiku cried out and tightened his grip on Arthur as he came. Arthur came with a grunt as he also tightened his grip on the trembling Kiku. Then Arthur felt Kiku loosen his grip on him. Glancing at him he noticed that Kiku had passed out. Arthur smiled and wiped away the remains of the tears Kiku had shed before kissing him and pulling him closer, and whispered into his ear,

_"You belong to me now… my little pet…"_

**Author's Note:**_  
_

Don't kill me! But for some weird as reason I cannot write stories without them having some sort of tragedy in them... or having scene like this one... anyway... um... the next chapter is going to have some information and clear some things up a little (n probably raise questions)... so yea... off to the next chapter...

**Meanings of words:**

**Shinitaiyo:** I want to die (got it from Dark Wood Circus)

**Shine:** Die (got it from When Crooks Laugh)

**Hentia**: Pervert (this one from InuYasha... I think...)

And I am going to assume you guys know the rest of them...


	11. Memories From Long Ago

**Warnings: Character Death, Possible Ideologically Sensitive Material, and Tragedy**

**This entire chapter is a flashback of something that happened almost 20 yrs ago. It will clarify some stuff of Kiku's past, plus might help explain his reaction to the events in Chapter 09 & possibly 10.**

Kiku – age 5

"Kiku, are you almost done?" Kiku looked up to see his father at the doorway to his room.

"Hai! I'm done," Kiku said as he picked up the small sack his father had given him. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes we are. Come." Kiku ran over and took his father's extended hand as they both headed for the port.

"Wow! These ships are so big!" Kiku exclaimed as they walked past many of the ships that were docked.

"They are, aren't they?" Kyoto smiled at Kiku's expression as he continued to gaze in awe at all the ships. "Ah! Here is ours. Watch your step." Kiku nodded as they climbed aboard one of the ships. He heard his father talking with one of the people there before his father led him below deck.

"So this is where we are staying, otousan?" Kiku asked as his father led him into one of the many rooms on the ship.

"Yes. Now Kiku I have some things to go discuss with the captain. Stay here and put your stuff away."

"Hai! I will," Kiku began putting his stuff away. He was done quickly since all he had brought was the necessary clothing for the trip. Feeling bored he also grabbed his father's stuff and started putting it away. He was finishing when his father returned.

"Kiku, come with me. There's something you might want to see." Kiku nodded and followed his father back to the deck. Kiku practically ran to the railing and peeked over.

"Otousan! The ship's moving!" Kyoto scooped up Kiku who was excited as the ship left the harbor. "Otousan! Boku wa umi wo mimasu!" Kiku exclaimed as he hugged his father.

"It's very beautiful isn't it?" Kiku nodded as the ship continued on its way. "Now Kiku do you remember what we talked about?"

"Hai, for me to behave and not get in the way."

"Exactly. This is not just a trip across the ocean. Don't forget that I am part of the crew, and as such I have work to do around here."

"If you want I can help," Kiku said as he looked at his father.

"We already talked about that Kiku."

"Onegai!" Kiku begged as he looked at his father with puppy eyes. "Let me help! I promise I won't get in the way!"

"All right, but if you promise to stay near me and not interfere with the work of the others."

"I won't interfere. I promise!"

_Time Skip_

_Scrub. Scrub._

Kiku was on his hands and knees helping his father and some of the other's clean the deck. It had been two weeks since they left their home aboard the merchant ship. He had been assigned a portion of the deck and he was almost done cleaning it. After a while he stifled a yawn and stopped momentarily to rub his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono.

"Hey Kyoto. Looks like the little one has worn himself out." Kyoto looked up and smiled as Kiku continued to rub his eyes with one hand while continuing cleaning with the other.

"Come on, Kiku. It's time for your nap." Kyoto walked over and scooped up the tired Kiku.

"But I'm not tired," Kiku mumbled as he gave another yawn, and clung on to his father.

"Yes you are."

"But I am not done yet," Kiku protested as his father carried him to their room.

"Don't worry about it. I'll finish it for you." When Kyoto didn't get a reply he glanced at Kiku to realize he had already fallen asleep. Kyoto carefully put down Kiku on his futon and covered him with a blanket before going back to help the others.

_Boom_

Kiku woke up with a start at the unexpected loud noise. He could feel the ship rocking after every loud noise he heard. Frightened he pulled his blanket over his head and stayed very still. After a while he stopped hearing the strange noise, only to hear more noises above deck. After a while he heard footsteps approaching. Thinking it was his father he got up and opened the door.

"Otousan, na-" he stopped when he realized that he didn't recognize the two people standing there. He started backing away when one of the men roughly grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.

"Yamete! Itai!" Kiku screamed as he struggled to break free of the iron grip around his wrist. He could hear them speaking in a language he didn't understand. Then one of them grabbed a rope and tied him up before carrying him. Frightened he struggled only to receive a harsh blow to the head. He cried out in pain as he began calling for his father.

"Let go of him!" Kiku was dropped and he looked up to see his father fighting the men that had captured him.

"Otousan! Be careful!" Kiku cried out as he watched the battle between his father and the two men. After a while he couldn't watch anymore and just covered his face with his bound hands. After a while the noise quieted down and he looked up to see his father hurry over.

"Stay still, Kiku. I am going to cut the ropes." Kiku nodded as his father cut the ropes off him.

"Otousan! I was so scared!" Kiku cried as he hugged his father. Kiku then felt something strange. Blinking he moved his hand and found it covered in a red liquid.

"You are bleeding!"

"It doesn't matter. Come on let's go." Kyoto scooped Kiku off and quickly took off. Then before they reached the deck Kyoto put Kiku down. "Stay here. I'll be right back." Kiku nodded and hid. He closed his eyes and covered his ears as people began to rush back and forth. He stayed silent, terrified of being found by another person he didn't recognize.

"Kiku, I'm back." Kiku opened his eyes and stared at his father. "Come, hurry we mustn't waste any time!" Kiku nodded and grabbed his father's hand as they rushed onto the deck. Kiku almost stopped running at the bloody scene in front of him, but his father's grip kept him from halting. Gray clouds were covering the sky, and thunder could be heard in the distance as they hurried to the lifeboats.

Kiku glanced to see a strange ship alongside theirs. Kyoto lifted him up and put him on the only lifeboat that was ready to be lowered onto the water. At the same time Kiku heard shouting, and he spotted some more of the strangely dressed people from before. Kyoto glanced behind himself before grabbing the katana and wakizashi he carried and handed both of them to Kiku.

"Here, take them. They are yours now. Use them wisely, Kiku. Gomen. Aishiteru." Then Kyoto took out a small knife and cut the lifeboat loose, before turning around to confront the men from the other ship.

"IIE! OTOUSAN!" Kiku screamed. When the boat hit the water he was slammed into the bottom of the boat due to the impact. Kiku struggled to sit back up. He looked up, clutching both swords, desperately looking for any signs of his father as the small boat was pulled away from the ship by the sea. His eyes widened in horror as the merchant ship slowly became engulfed in flames.

"IIE! IIE!" Kiku sobbed as he clung on to the swords his father had given him. And, as though they sensed and felt his suffering, the clouds began to weep with him.

_Time Skip_

"That was quite a storm, wasn't it Hokkaido?" Yao asked as he looked around the ship. "Any serious damage?"

"Not much. We only need to repair a couple of things, but the ship held pretty well despite the fact that storm lasted for a couple of days."

"Glad to hear that. How long before we get back home?"

"I'll say another week or two. It also depends if the weather decides to be on our side for the rest of the trip."

"Your Highness!" Yao turned to see Ling waving at him from the front of the ship.

"What is it Ling?"

"There's a lifeboat! And I can see someone in it!" Yao and Hokkaido looked at each other as they and the part of the crew hurried to where she was. There was a small lifeboat floating a bit ahead of them, and Yao could barely see the passenger in it.

"Bring us closer! Get rope!" Yao shouted as the crew quickly mobilized. Hokkaido was lowered with a rope, and he climbed aboard the lifeboat. He signaled and a bunch more ropes were thrown. He quickly tied them to the boat and signaled for them to raise it as he bent down to check the passenger. It was a small, young boy with pale skin and black hair, and was wearing a drenched gray kimono.

The child was tightly clutching two swords which he quickly identified them as a katana and a wakizashi. He reached over and touched the child's forehead to find it hot. The child opened his eyes and stared at him. Hokkaido could see the anguish in those feverish brown eyes. He carefully picked up the cold quivering child who immediately snuggled into him, seeking his warmth. Hokkaido looked up to see that they almost had the boat all the way up. He was quickly helped back onto the ship as the lifeboat was hauled in after them.

"Get me the doctor, this child has a fever." Hokkaido commanded as he shifted the child in his arms.

"Here, let me see him." Yao said as he took the child away from Hokkaido. Hokkaido carefully pried the swords from the child's numb fingers. Yao balanced the child in his arms and looked into the brown eyes that shone with pain. "It's alright little one. You are safe now; no one is going to hurt you." As he spoke Yao cradled the child closer to him.

"Otousan…" the child whispered before he clung on to Yao and begin crying.

"Sshhh, sshhh. It's alright little one." Yao said as he started to stroke the child's damp hair. Hearing footsteps he turned and spotted the doctor hurrying over. He motioned with his hand toward his quarters, before following the doctor.

"Hokkaido," Yao said as he turned to stare at Hokkaido. "Tell Xi'an to get some tea and warm food to my quarters. Also get Guilin to bring me spare dry clothes and extra blankets. Also tell him to get a warm bath ready. And then I need you to come to my cabin as well. And bring the swords the child was holding as well."

"Understood," Hokkaido said as he went to find Xi'an and Guilin. Yao turned and quickly went into his quarters and put the child down on his bed. Yao moved to the side as the doctor begin inspecting the child.

"What's your name little one?" Yao asked as he continued to soothingly stroke the child's hair. The boy looked at him for a moment before answering.

"Kiku… My name is Kiku," Kiku replied in a raspy voice as he looked at Yao.

"Don't worry Kiku. You are safe with me now. No one is going to hurt you. I promise."

**Author's Note:**

Wrote this in six hours due to the fact I had to stop due to me crying as I wrote this...

So yeah... Kiku isn't related to Yao by blood and the others were adopted as well. Kiku's mother died before this chapter so Kyoto raised Kiku by himself. He got a job aboard this merchant ship. he managed to persuade the captain to let him bring Kiku along... and you guys pretty much know what happened next...

Will update tomorrow!

**P.S Ling is Beijing**

**Otousan **means father

**Boku wa umi wo mimasu! **It means "I can see the ocean!"

**On a side note I actually posted something on my profile for once... So if anyone is interested in checking it out...**


	12. Silent Prisoner

"Here you go Matthew, now hurry up and take it before it gets cold."

"I don't see the point of bringing him food. He is just going to reject it." Matthew sighed as he accepted the tray from Lydia. "This is some strange looking food."

"What do you expect?" Lydia snapped as she stared at him funnily. "Don't tell me you have never seen the many types of cuisine from the Eastern lands?"

"Of course not! I usually stay on the ship to help with the repairs and stuff. You think he is going to accept the food this time?"

"I hope so. That's the reason I made it. Hopefully I made the food right. This is the first time I have attempted this cuisine from the Southern lands of the East. Now stop standing there and take the food over there."

"And if he doesn't accept it?" Matthew asked as he stood in the doorway looking back at her.

"Then just leave it there. Maybe he will eat on his own accord. Now don't bug me I still have to prepare the food for the rest of the crew." Lydia replied as she started grabbing the ingredients she needed. Matthew sighed and made his way to the captain's room.

_'Why do I have to be the one to feed him?'_ Matthew sighed as he carefully balanced the tray and opened the door to the cabin, and carefully closing it behind himself.

Kiku just laid there on the bed, and he snuggled into the covers when he heard the door open and close. _'Go away. Go away.'_ He thought as he heard the person approach the bed and put something down. He opened his eyes and spotted Matthew putting a tray of food on the bedside table.

"How are you doing?" Matthew asked as he looked at the figure on the bed. Kiku was completely hidden beneath the covers. The only thing visible was his pale face as he blankly stared at Matthew. Silence greeted Matthew, but he wasn't surprised. Ever since he got dumped on this job he had never heard a sound come from Kiku.

"I brought you some food. Lydia made some of the cuisine from your lands." Again no reply as Kiku continued to stare at him. Then Kiku simply covered his face with the covers and ignored Matthew. Matthew sighed and scratched his head.

_'The things I have to put up with'_

"I'll leave the food here in case you wish to it later," Matthew said to the figure hidden underneath the bed covers. After a moment of silence Matthew walked to the door, and after quickly looking towards the bed he left.

_Sometime later_

"How is he?" Arthur asked Matthew.

"Hard to tell. He still refuses to speak with me. All he does is stare, and hide under the bedcovers."

"Really? He does say stuff when I am around, but it's usually in that strange language he speaks." Matthew sighed and looked up at the darkening sky.

"How long until we reach the next port?"

"A couple of days, if the weather doesn't turn treacherous. Whose turn is it to keep watch?"

"Alfred's. I'll go wake him up."

"Okay. I'm retiring for the night, and no one is allowed to disturb me unless it's an emergency." Matthew nodded as he left. Arthur sighed and made his way back to his room. After closing the door he glanced towards the figure on the bed. Kiku had his back to the door, and like Matthew said he was hidden completely under the covers.

"How long are you going to continue this game of yours," Arthur said as he sat down on the bed and removed the sheet from Kiku's head. Brown eyes stared back at him as he stroked the silky black hair. Then he bent down and kissed him on the forehead before standing up to look at the tray. To his surprise the bowl of food was empty.

"So you finally decided to eat something. Does that mean you are going to be a bit more cooperative?" Silence greeted him as Kiku continued to blankly stare at him. "Or maybe not." Arthur stood up and walked over to his desk. Glancing at Kiku he pulled out a journal and began writing. Kiku ignored him and shifted on the bed a little. Arthur just continued working as he began pulling out other stuff.

"Sit up, and take the covers off of you," Arthur finally spoke as he finally started to put everything away. Kiku slowly started to sit up. As he moved Arthur heard the familiar rattling sound as Kiku moved. He glanced to see the metal chain moving as Kiku moved his left leg in order to completely take the covers off. Arthur smiled as the movement revealed the shackle that Kiku had on his leg. Finally Kiku sat there, wearing the gray kimono Arthur had chosen for him.

"So are you going to start talking, my pet? And your native language doesn't count." He added as he lifted Kiku's chin so they were both staring into each other's eyes. After a moment of silence, Kiku opened his mouth, but then he closed it and looked away.

"_I refuse to speak in English_. Anata wa wakarimasu... Asa?" At the Asa part Kiku turned and stared at Arthur.

"I am going to assume that by 'Asa' you mean me, am I correct?" A small nod came from Kiku. "Would you translate the rest of it then?" Kiku shook his head and kept his face expressionless as he continued to blankly stare at Arthur.

"You are pushing your luck. But then again, I bet you already knew that," Arthur murmured as he began to take the kimono off Kiku as he pinned him down on the bed…

**Author's Note:**

Arthur you hentai... Yes he does have Kiku chained to the bed...

**Anata wa wakarimsu** means "Do you understand"

There was a line that Kiku spoke that was written in italics. It's written in English, but he said it in Japanese, I just didn't know how to translate that into Japanese. XD

O, what Lydia prepared for him was Nikujaga.


	13. The Storm

"Behave and try to be a little more talkative with Matthew. I'll be back tonight."

Kiku just ignored Arthur as he snuggled under the bed sheets again. _'Just go away and leave me alone.'_ Kiku heard him leave and close the door. Making sure the bastard left he carefully reached underneath the mattress and grabbed the small knife he had hidden there. After making sure the door was closed he began trying to open the shackle.

He had been working it for a while when he heard footsteps. Immediately he hid under the covers again clutching the knife in his hand. He recognized Matthew's footsteps by now. He snuggled deeper into the covers and just peeked at Matthew from the small gap he allowed so that he could see what was going on. Matthew put down another tray and then went and closed the window, locking it tightly.

"Do you want some extra blankets? There's a storm coming and it might get cold in here."

_'A storm?'_ Kiku just stared at Matthew for a moment before nodding his head. Matthew just stared at him for a while, since Kiku never replied in any way to any of his questions or requests. He just blinked but went and got the extra blankets and just put them on the bed before leaving. Kiku waited until he left then he sat up and got the food and started eating it.

_'She's a good cook,'_ he thought as he ate. He continued attacking the shackle as he munched on an onigiri. He was forced to hide under the covers (and extra blankets) when Matthew came back for the tray. By now he could hear the rain outside and he ignored whatever Matthew was telling him and just covered himself from head to toe. Eventually Matthew gave up trying to get him to react and left. Immediately he resumed his assault on the shackle.

_Click_

_'I did it. I finally opened it,'_ he rubbed the skin where the shackle had been before standing up. He went to the door and carefully opened it. After making sure the coast was clear he quickly closed the door behind himself and then he took off in the direction that he knew led to the deck. He had been paying close attention for the past weeks to the sounds that he could hear on the _Mary Celeste_, and by that info he was able to somewhat create a map to the outside.

He could hear the pouring rain, which meant he had to hurry before the bastard decided to return to his room. He carefully opened the door that led to the deck and peeked out. It was raining, and he could see the rail.

"How did you get out from the room?" Kiku turned to see someone he did recognize, but whose name he didn't know. _'Crap. Who's he? I think he is related to the pirate bastard.'_

Alfred looked at Kiku who was blankly staring back at him. Alfred made a move to grab him, but Kiku opened the door and fled outside into the rain. "Grab him! The prisoner is getting away, someone go get Iggy!" Alfred shouted as he took off after Kiku. Some of the crew that was nearby went to attack Kiku who was able to successfully defend himself using the knife in his hand.

"What's going on? And how did you get out?" Alfred turned around to see an annoyed looking Arthur walk over. Kiku stopped in the act of stabbing another person of the crew and stared at Arthur. Then all Kiku did was drop the person and turned to face Arthur.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked as he walked over to Kiku, who calmly backed away into the railing.

"Umi… watashi no tomodachi wa hanashimashita. Soshite boku wa kikimashita" As he spoke Kiku stepped onto the rail which caused Arthur to stop walking and stare at him. Kiku calmly grabbed onto one of the ropes that was there and balanced himself upon the wet thin wood underneath him.

"So are you really going to jump, or are you just trying to buy yourself time?" Arthur asked as he took a couple of steps closer to Kiku. Kiku blinked in surprise at Arthur's question, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Arthur. "Get down from there, and I promise your punishment will not be harsh."

"No"

"Ah, you finally speak. And why not? The ocean is a dangerous place, but more so when there is a storm overhead."

"…" Kiku blinked and stared at Arthur before giving a small chuckle. "Gomen. But I am not afraid of the ocean. She's my tomodachi." Kiku waved a hand at the clouds and the pouring rain. "I have been in more unfortunate circumstances than this."

"And they are?" Arthur asked at the same time he gestured to some of the crew to try to get closer to Kiku.

"Since when…" Kiku fell silent as he looked at something behind Arthur. Blinking he sighed and looked at Arthur. Everyone on the deck was already drenched to the bone and the only ones that did not seem to notice were Arthur and Kiku.

"Gomen… Asa. Demo…" The ship suddenly rocked as it was hit by a wave. Whether Kiku let go or he lost his grip on the rope it was hard to tell. Arthur lunged forward but he was too late. He peered over the rail, along with the part of the crew that had joined him on the deck. The rain made it hard to see anything in the restless ocean. Arthur immediately looked around. Spotting something he shouted, "Get the ship moving! We are heading over there!"

_I leave my life in your hands once more… umi-san…_

_**Author's Note:**_

Kiku is not crazy. He has been helped by his _tomodachi_ in more than one occasion. Wonder what Arthur spotted...

**Umi:** Ocean/Sea

**Watashi no tomodachi wa hanashimashita:** My friend spoke

**Soshite boku wa kikimashita:** And I listened

**Gomen:** Sorry

**Tomodachi:** Friend

**Onigiri:** Rice Ball (they are yummy)

**Demo:** But


	14. The Island

Kiku's hands touched the cold wet sand as he dragged himself onto the shore. He had allowed the ocean to direct him where to go, and this is where she decided to take him. Shivering he looked around. It was now sprinkling lightly and he spotted an island in the distance. He began walking along the beach determined to find out where he was. After a while (around 6 hours) he found himself back to where he had started.

_'So she decided to bring me to an island,'_ he thought as he started to make his way to the island's center. By now the sun was rising, the clouds were still covering a portion of the sky, but the wind was slowly beginning to blow them away. He grabbed as many sticks as he could find and brought them back. He put them down on a rock so that the sun could dry them before heading back into the forest. He kept bringing more and more sticks as well as grasses so that they would dry. After checking the bigger and longer ones he grabbed the small knife (it had been strapped to his arm) and began sharpening it to a point.

He went back to the section of the island where he remembered having seen fish. After catching some he went back, started a fire with the dried sticks and grass. Then he cooked the fish after cleaning it.

_'This will have to do for now. But I need to get off this island and go back home, and deliver the news to my brother.'_ Kiku sighed as he calmly ate the fish before putting out the fire. Grabbing the rest of the sticks he had he headed to the cave he found. Then he went and continued exploring the island looking for anything else he needed. He found a stream nearby, and he quickly drank his fill. Satisfied he got up and began looking for anything else he might need.

That night he just sat on top of the cave, gazing up at the stars. Inside his mind he was mapping the constellations and star positions. _'If I am correct then the way home is in that direction. But I will need to head South as well. Looks like he was headed to the Northwest. So I need to go Southeast. I will see if I can make a raft out of anything tomorrow…'_

_Time Skip_

Kiku frowned as he looked down at the water. He had been able to find some stuff, but he needed more if he wanted to go back home. He sighed and hugged himself as a cold breeze went by. The temperatures have been slowly dropping for the past couple of days and he knew that the weather in the North would remain cold until spring. The temperature drops probably meant that another storm was on its way.

He sighed as he continued to study the fish swimming below. He shifted his spear a little bit as he spotted the one he wanted. He was about to move when he heard strange noises, as if someone was approaching. Last time he checked apart from the fish, seals, and the seagulls he was the only other living thing on the island. He immediately stood up and took off, and he could hear footsteps chasing after him.

_'Damn it. I was hoping to have gotten rid of them.'_ He continued running checking once in a while to see who it was. He easily recognized the person chasing him. He made a wide circle in order to lose the person. Then he quickly headed back to the cave and started getting the little things he had managed to make from the island's resources. He was grabbing the last thing when he heard noises outside. He froze and pointed the spear at the entrance. No one was there, but he could hear the voices from the bastard and his crew.

_'Why in the world did they even bother trying to find me? Wouldn't it have been better for them to assume I died?'_ He backed into the back wall of the cave, eyes on the entrance. He knew the bastard was stubborn, but seriously, what are the chances of someone surviving after falling into the ocean during a storm? Or for them to land on one of the many islands that were nearby?

Something foul started to fill the air, which he quickly identified as smoke. Bastard! _Is he trying to smoke me out?_ Kiku moved to one of the corners of the cave and covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his kimono. It did offer some protection against it, but eventually he began coughing as the smoke began filling his lungs.

He could feel tears forming in his eyes as the smoke continued to deprive him of oxygen. But he made himself stay where he was and not run outside. He would rather die of smoke inhalation then have to spend the rest of his life chained to the bed of the bastard.

At some point he heard footsteps, but he just continued to sit there, hoping the person would go away. Instead he heard the person approach him and kneel in front of him. He felt a wet rag on his face, covering his mouth and nose. He struggled a bit, but he was already on the verge of passing out as the person carried him out of the cave. The rag was taken of his mouth, and he ended up coughing all over again as his lungs tried to get rid of all the smoke he had inhaled.

Whoever the person was gently lowered him to the ground. A blanket was wrapped around him and someone gave him water. He accepted the water in order to sooth his irritated throat. After a while the person picked him up and carried him off. He felt himself get put down on a wooden surface. Ignoring everyone he kept his eyes closed as he heard them chatting. He drifted off for a while, but he woke up as he felt the person pick him up again.

He felt himself get transferred into the arms of someone else. He immediately recognized who he had been given to, Arthur. He heard Arthur speak briefly with someone else before the pirate walked off. Kiku felt himself start to fall asleep once more, and the last thing he noticed was that the pirate had once more lowered him onto a soft surface…

**Author's Note:**

I agree with Kiku. I would rather suffocate to death instead of going back to being chained to a hentai's bed.

It took them a couple of days to find him since the island Kiku landed on was part of an island chain. The one who got him out was Matthew, and it was Alfred's idea to use the smoke... Arthur was being a lazy captain and he stayed on the ship.


	15. Gift of Possession

"Yo Iggy! We have reached the port," Arthur looked up to see Alfred peeking in. "Want us to get you anything?"

"No need to. I prefer to go myself. There's some stuff I rather buy personally." Arthur replied as he stood up and followed Alfred after grabbing some of the things he was going to need. The temperatures in the North were still at a bit above freezing. Which to the North it was warmer than usual for that time of year. Temperatures tended to be at a few degrees below zero.

Arthur walked around the many shops that were open. The shops of the North were known for selling many items from all over the Western World. He bought some extra journals he needed, plus pens, updated maps, and warm clothing since he was going to stay in the North for a bit longer.

Arthur was starting to head back to the ship when something caught his attention. He walked into the shop and began looking at the many things being sold there. He was very tempted to buy most of the items that were being sold there. But then his eyes landed on one in specific. He picked it up and examined it. Then after checking everything else he went and bought it before heading back to the ship.

Kiku was just sitting there on the pirate's bed playing with some of the seashells Arthur had let him keep after the whole island and storm incident. A good portion of what he had obtained on the island was still in confiscation, and he knew the make-shift weapons he had made were never going to be returned to him. He was once more chained to the bed, but Arthur had changed the shackle due to the fact Kiku had severely damaged the other one. Possibly the only advantage was that Arthur had gotten a longer chain so he could walk a couple of feet from the bed.

Kiku didn't even bother looking up as the door opened and Arthur walked in. He heard him complain about the freezing temperatures of the North. Even though Kiku hated it he had to agree with him. Even with the thick bed covers Arthur had provided he could feel the cold temperatures that plagued this part of the world. It took him a while to realize Arthur was standing at the foot of the bed. He looked up and realized Arthur was still wearing his winter getup.

_What in the world do you want now?_

"Here put this on," Arthur gave Kiku a winter coat. Kiku warily took it, as he stared suspiciously at the pirate as he put it on. Almost immediately he snuggled into it as the coat began to warm him up a little. Hearing the sounds of keys he opened his eyes to see Arthur grab his leg and unlocked the shackle. Kiku gave Arthur a questioning look as Arthur extended out his hand.

"Don't just sit there and stare, come. I'm taking you to the upper deck." Kiku continued to stare at him, wondering what the bastard was plotting. Arthur, getting impatient, grabbed Kiku's right hand and pulled him off the bed. Kiku blinked and shielded his eyes for a moment as the afternoon sun momentarily blinded him as they walked out. After letting him get accustomed to the sun's light Arthur continued walking. Kiku could feel the questioning looks the crew was shooting in their direction. _So they didn't know he was taking me out of that room?_

"Oh, I almost forgot," Arthur unexpectedly stopped and begin searching his pockets. Kiku just stared at him, trying to ignore the looks the crew was aiming at him. He pulled out a small parcel, and as he opened it he bent down and carefully put something on Kiku's right ankle. Kiku was in the process of moving his leg to check what the pirate had put on him, when Arthur grabbed his hand and resumed his walk towards the railing.

_Jingle. jingle._

Kiku almost froze, and he made an attempt to free his hand from Arthur's grasp. All the pirate did was tightened his grip as Kiku suddenly realized what was around his ankle. Kiku carefully moved his leg when Arthur finished walking. All he did was stare in shock at the anklet Arthur had put on him. The anklet had a lot of small bells that jingled when he walked. He then turned and glared at Arthur.

"Why did you put this thing on me?" Kiku asked getting infuriated at the smirk Arthur had on his face.

"What? Don't you like it?"

"Of course I don't! Now answer my question before I throw you overboard." Arthur calmly grabbed Kiku's wrists and twisted him around. The bells jingled as Arthur hugged Kiku. Kiku struggled against his grasp, which caused the bells to resume their jingling. Eventually Kiku just twisted a bit and glared at Arthur.

"The reason I bought it was so that everyone knows you belong to me, my little pet," Arthur kissed Kiku who resumed struggling.

"I am not yours! I never have and never will be!"

"You know it's true so stop denying it. Besides be happy I got you the anklet."

"Why should I be happy you put this thing on me?"

"There were a lot of other stuff where I bought it. And I was actually eyeing a black leather collar for your pretty neck. But I decided against it. Since I believe you would rather have the anklet than the collar, or am I mistaken?" Arthur smirked at Kiku's mortified look.

"I'd… I'd rather have the anklet," Kiku finally spoke as he looked back down at it.

"I thought so. And that's not the only reason why I dragged you out here."

_Now what?_

"I have decided to let you wander around the ship. You are now free to go almost anywhere on the ship. But you are still going to have meals in my quarters. The only condition is that you don't remove the anklet."

"Hai. I understand." Kiku knew that with the anklet everyone would be able to tell where he was. Which meant he wasn't going to be able to go anywhere without them knowing about it.

"And since we are going to stay here for a while, you can go and check out the shops here. But there are actually four conditions for that one. The first is that you cannot remove the anklet; the second is that you must tell me ahead of time. Thirdly you must have an escort with you. The only ones that are allowed to go with you are Matthew and Alfred, no one else. Last but not least there are specific sections of this place you are not allowed to go to. I already told those two so they will be keeping an eye on you."

"Hai. I understand," Kiku murmured as he looked at the deep blue sea. He shivered when the cold wind started to pick up again. He turned and snuggled into Arthur, who in turn pulled him closer. The tiny bells jingled as the cold winter air moved them…

**Author's Note:**

Stupid Arthur...

Anyway... Sorry about my slow updating, but I am hitting the damn wall already, and I am struggling to get out of it... Which so far I am...


	16. Unexpected Encounter

_Jingle. Jingle._

Kiku ignored the jingling as he made his way to the upper deck. They had left the port a few days ago and they were on an expedition across the Icy Sea. He didn't see the pirate's purpose of staying in this freezing hell. He made sure he had secured the winter coat he had bought at the market (using the money Arthur had given him) before they had left. He had waited until Matthew was available; he was the only person on the ship (apart from Arthur and Lydia) whom he was comfortable talking to.

He opened the door and made his way to the railing. No one paid him much attention since, by now, the crew knew that he liked to hang out by the railing and just stand there and gaze at the ocean. It was a deep blue color and it was decorated with icebergs. He immediately knew where they were. He had passed here before with the others. This was the place of the Icy Sea that was nicknamed "The Iceberg Circle." The icebergs weren't really forming a circle but to anyone sailing through them it looked as though they were.

"Captain! A merchant ship has been spotted!" Kiku turned and looked up at the crow's nest. Noticing the direction the person was looking at he glanced in that direction. He could see a ship, but without a telescope he couldn't identify where the ship came from. He could tell the ship had come from the East, but it was too far away to see if it _was_ a ship from there.

"Alright people! Get ready we are going to give them a surprise visit." Kiku just glanced in Arthur's direction before turning back to look at the ship. He ignored all the commotion that was happening behind him. As they approached he began studying it trying to see if there was anything on the ship that he could use to identify in side of the world, and which territory it was built in. He turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Arthur was standing there and he was holding his katana in one hand.

"Here, you might need this. Just don't try anything funny." Arthur calmly spoke as he handed the katana to Kiku. Then he turned and started walking away.

"Wait…" Arthur turned around and stared at Kiku who was glaring at him. "You are asking me to help you in the raid of a ship?"

"I am not asking you to, I am ordering you to help us. Unless you prefer for me to go lock you up in one of the cells for disobeying a direct order from the captain." When Kiku didn't reply Arthur sighed and walked over to him and lifted his chin up. "And I prefer not to chain you in there, love. And after we are done with the raid I'll let you choose anything you want." Arthur added as he looked into Kiku's brown eyes. After a while, Kiku closed his eyes and nodded.

"Good. I'll be back I have to go make sure everyone I ready." Arthur quickly kissed Kiku before leaving. Kiku stared after him, confused about why he gave in that fast. Sighing he turned and looked at the merchant ship they were about to attack. It was hard to tell if they had been spotted already, but he knew by experience that they probably had been spotted already.

_Can I even fight with this on?_ He wondered as he looked down at the warm coat he was wearing. He hoped he could, because he didn't like the idea of having to take it off. Then he looked up as the _Mary Celeste _fired at the merchant ship. He grabbed onto the railing and noticing something he immediately backed away as the merchant ship fired back. His eyes landed on the familiar flag of the northernmost territory of the Eastern Empire. The flag that was horizontally divided into three colors; white, blue, and red. Then his eyes landed on the ship's name which was written in an icy blue color, медведь.

_Why did it have to be one of his ships? That bastard better know what he is doing, or else we are going to be the ones captured instead._

"Attack! Capture the ship!" Kiku jumped as Arthur shouted his commands from right next to him. Then Arthur just wrapped his arm around Kiku's waist and pulled him closer. "Don't worry. We'll only interfere if things start going bad for them. Especially since I know you aren't very keen in participating."

"Of course I am not" _That's a ship from my homeland, and I also know who commands it…_

"Looks like we didn't have to interfere," Arthur said after a while. Still holding Kiku by the waist he calmly walked to the медведь.

"Iggy! We have caught them. What do we do now?" Alfred asked as Kiku and Arthur stepped aboard the медведь. Kiku's eyes immediately started searching around looking for the captain of the ship. After a while he sensed a pair of eyes on himself and he turned and stared into the icy blue eyes of the ship's captain.

"So I am going to assume the fellow here is the captain, am I right?" Arthur asked as he stood in front of the captain. Arthur received a glare as the person replied in another language he didn't understand.

"He says he is, and what business do you want with the ship." Kiku translated before Arthur could do anything to the captain.

"You speak his language?"

"Yes. It's a language spoken in the northernmost territory of the Eastern Kingdom."

"Can you try negotiating with him then?"

"Привет Сибирь" Kiku murmured as he bent down to be at eye level with the captain.

"Привет хризантема" was the reply Kiku got. "_May I ask what you are doing in the company of pirates?"_

_"I was captured, and my ship was burned. I tried to escape only to be caught once more."_

_"I see… Ask that bastard what he wants."_ Kiku nodded and repeated the question to Arthur.

"Tell him if he willingly hands over the cargo nothing will happen to him, his crew, or the ship."

_"Well, I don't have to translate to you. I am glad you didn't speak in English to him."_

_"I know. Why do you have that thing on your ankle?"_

_"The bastard claims I am his. So he put it on me to emphasize that fact."_

_"Tell him he can go ahead, but he will suffer greatly if he breaks his word."_

"I am a man of my word, you can tell him that. Even you know that my little pet." Arthur replied as he looked at Kiku before turning to his men. "Get the ship's cargo. Make sure you leave nothing behind."

_"You heard him."_

_"I did and if I could I would kill him for calling the emperor's brother that."_

_"You know I am not his real brother."_

_"We all know none of you are related to him. But we respect his choice of naming you guys as his siblings."_

_"When you get back… can you please tell my brother? I am positive the news haven't reached him yet."_

_"I am positive they haven't. Even we haven't heard of the tragedy that has befallen your ship. And none of the ships we have encountered have so much as mentioned the incident. What do you wish for me to say to him?"_

_"Tell my brother that I was captured by the man I encountered four to five years ago. He will understand what you mean by that."_

_"Of course. I will also tell the lord. He might want to help your brother."_

_"I know he will. Those two are so close."_ Kiku looked up as Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Come, it's time to go." Kiku nodded and stood up. The crew was back aboard the _Mary Celeste_ and they were getting the ship ready so that they could leave.

"Боюсь, что мне пора." Kiku said as Arthur helped him back aboard the _Mary Celeste._

"До свидания! Заботиться хризантема" Сибирь called out as the _Mary Celeste _left leaving the медведь drifting in the Icy Sea.

**Author's Note:**

Even I surprised myself with the little Russian I know. Which is very little... For the parts that I didn't feel like using google translate for are in italics. Yes, Kiku knows Russian.

**медведь:** Bear

**Привет:** Hello

**Сибирь:** Siberia

**хризантема: **Chrysanthemum

**Боюсь, что мне пора:** I am afraid that I must go.

**До свидания!:** Goodbye!

**Заботиться хризантема:** Take care chrysanthemum

**Yes. The captain of the Russian ship is Siberia.**


	17. Return of the Bear and the Tiger

Siberia watched as the _Mary Celeste_ left. He twisted his hands and managed to get the knife he had hidden in the winter boots he was wearing. He managed to free himself quickly, and as he stood up he noticed he wasn't the only that still had a hidden weapon on themselves. He and the others freed the rest of the crew.

"What do we do now captain? Do we go after them?" Siberia turned to look at Norilʹsk who had just finished freeing Chita.

"We have no choice but to go back home. We must tell the lord of what has happened, and then we must go tell the emperor of what has befallen his brother."

"Understood. I'll get Irkutsk to help me check to see how much of our supplies are left."

"Go ahead and do that. Vorkuta! Turn the ship around! We are heading back home."

"Yes sir!"

_One week later_

"Lord Ivan! Sorry to disturb you sir, but Siberia has returned," Anastasia said as she knelt in front of Ivan who in turned looked surprised at the news.

"Siberia? But isn't he scheduled to return until two months from now?"

"Yes, he was sir. But he wishes to see you right now. He says he has some very important information."

"Fine then. Tell him he can come in, da?"

"Yes sir," Anastasia stood up and quickly went to get Siberia. "The lord has granted you permission to come speak with him." Siberia nodded and quickly followed her as they went into Ivan's study. Siberia then knelt in front of Ivan.

"Siberia, this is quite the pleasant surprise. Aren't you supposed to be heading towards the Western Lands?"

"Yes I was. But we ran into trouble at the Iceberg's Circle."

"What type of trouble?"

"We were attacked by a pirate ship, and it was quite a surprise for us."

"Don't tell me you weren't expecting to see pirates in the Icy Sea?"

"It wasn't that Lord Ivan. We have been attacked by pirates in that part of the sea before. We fought but we were forced to surrender and hand the cargo over."

"That's the twentieth cargo I have lost to those pirates." Ivan sighed as he started to quickly write that down. "If that's all you wanted to tell me you may go now."

_And I get to see if I can have those warships ready at an earlier date. I can't afford to lose any more cargo to those scoundrels from the West._

"There is more information I have to give you. The Emperor's younger brother, Kiku, is being held hostage aboard that pirate ship."

"How do you know that Kiku was there?"

"Because I saw him when the captain boarded our ship. The captain was parading him around, and the bastard dared to put an anklet on him to indicate that he 'owns' Kiku."

"Did you manage to speak to him?"

"Yes. When the captain came to speak to me I feigned ignorance of the English language. So Kiku had to act as translator and since no one of the bastard's crew knows our language it was easy for us to talk about other matters."

"What did he tell you?"

"That the bastard burned down the _Tanchō_ and took him hostage. He also told me had failed at escaping from the bastard's clutches."

"I see."

"He also wishes for me to inform his brother of what has happened. So sir, I wish for you to allow me to travel to the Imperial Palace to deliver the news to the Emperor."

"Allow you I shall. But I shall come with you. Yao-yao will need all the help he can get in order to get his brother back. Anastasia?"

"Yes sir?"

"Get Winter, I need to speak to him. Siberia get your ship ready we are traveling by sea to the palace."

"Yes sir!" Anastasia and Siberia quickly bowed before leaving the room.

**APH**

"Im Yong Soo-nii! You have returned!" Meimei exclaimed as she glomped her older brother who had barely gotten out of the carriage he had arrived in.

"Meimei! Be careful you almost toppled him to the ground!" Kaoru exclaimed as he rushed over and quickly grabbed Im Yong Soo before he could collapse to the ground from the force of Meimei's glomp.

"Meimei! Are you out to kill me or something?" Im Yong Soo asked as he hugged Meimei back. Then he reached over and pulled Kaoru into one. "How are my two favorite chibis, apart from Kiku-nii, doing?

"Hey! We are not that small! You are the freakishly tall one!" Meimei exclaimed as she looked up at Im Yong Soo. "You are even taller than Yao-nii!"

"Im Yong Soo! You have returned safely." Im Yong Soo and the other two glanced as Yao walked over. Smiling Yao pulled Im Yong Soo into a hug, and in the process pulled the other two into one as well. "I am happy that you have returned safely. How was your trip?"

"It went well. A couple complications came up, but Ha-Neul and I managed to get out of all them."

"Talking about Ha-Neul… Where is she?"

"She's making sure that all the cargo we got is being unloaded. We got a lot of good stuff that we can use for trading!"

"Glad to hear I am not the only one who brought stuff back." Everyone turned around to see Sakura walking over.

"Sakura! You and Kiku-nii were supposed to arrive sometime next week. Or did you two finish that fast?"

"No, Kiku-sensei sent me ahead of himself. So he is the one that's arriving next week. It was me that got ahead. Ran into trouble but now those lousy pirates know that a female captain can kick their butts all the way across the sea!"

"When did you arrive?"

"A week ago. I have been helping with the little one's training. He has definitely improved a lot."

"Why are we doing standing around? Let's go inside. The tea should be ready soon." Yao said as he started ushering everyone inside.

**Author's Note:**

Wow. Now you have Ivan chasing after you Arthur. You are going to be in so much trouble soon...

Anastasia is Moscow. And I am assuming you all know who Winter is.


	18. Thoughts

Arthur put down his pen and looked at the sleeping figure on the bed. Kiku was there subconsciously snuggling into the covers. They were still traveling in the Icy Sea, and the temperatures were starting to go up, but at a slow rate. Arthur knew they will eventually head further south. With the coming of spring more merchant ships were sent to travel across the ocean. And he was determined to get hold of some of the most valuables one sent from either side.

Arthur stood up and knelt next to the bed, all the while looking at Kiku's sleeping face. He reached out and moved a strand of hair and then he began to gently stroke the cheek of the person he had hunted down for years. Fire; that was the price that had to be paid. The price that was to still be paid and he knew that his prisoner will never hand over the information of the people that were there on that day.

He was surprised that he was now fond of the person that he had despised for years. The person that had taken part of his life away. Fire for fire; a life for a life. To keep him alive and make sure that he suffered the deaths of his comrades, and to suffer the consequences of the events that happened five years ago. That had been his intentions from the beginning. But everything began to slowly turn the moment the storm came and Kiku had let go (he had told Arthur he had let go on purpose) and had fallen into the ocean.

Never before had he been so worried or frightened as he had his men search the island chain that was nearby. Nor had he also felt so much relief when Matthew handed Kiku to him when they finally found him. Or so mad when Matthew had told him why Kiku was in the condition he was in. He didn't take out all of his anger on Alfred, since he knew his brother had good intentions from the beginning. He nursed Kiku back to health, and eventually allowed him the freedom of moving around the ship.

A lot of changes happened when he finally gave him that liberty. At first Kiku had acted like the living dead, barely interacting with anyone. The only exception was when Arthur would return to his room every night. He actually began to show more emotion, and began to speak to him in English. He also began speaking to Matthew, and befriended Lydia, who in turn would let him help her in the kitchen. Arthur would watch him as he would go and gaze at the ocean. Kiku was also slowly accepting his company, and he no longer pushed him away. Something that Arthur took as a sign that he was starting to accept the fact he was going to be with him forever.

The problem was getting his revenge back on the others. He had no idea who any of the others were, especially the one that had been with Kiku when he, out of rage, had attacked the black ship. He knew all the ships, and crew that was involved had come from the East. He had asked people about the locations of the other ships, but many didn't recognize the descriptions of the ships. For the names of the ships were written in languages that he didn't recognize, and he himself didn't remember how they were written. The only one that he got information on was the black ship, for many had seen it, and it was one of the ships that was widely known in both sides of the world.

It took him a while to notice that sleepy brown eyes were staring at him. He blinked, and to hide the fact he had been caught off guard, he leaned and kissed Kiku. "It's time to get up; Matthew should be bringing breakfast soon." As he spoke Arthur stood up and went back to his desk.

**APH**

When Kiku woke up he found himself staring at Arthur. He noticed that pirate was deep in thought as he continued to absentmindedly caress him. He was a bit annoyed since Arthur had kept him up late and he wished to go back to sleep. But Kiku was more surprised than annoyed. Usually when he awoke Arthur had left already and was already doing his morning inspection of the ship. He found it strange to actually have company in the morning. He usually had to wait until Matthew came with his breakfast in order to have someone to talk to.

He moved a little, and that snapped Arthur out of whatever thought process he was going through. He could tell he was trying to make it seem as though he knew that Kiku had been awake already. He quickly hid that fact by kissing Kiku and telling him to get up, before heading back to his desk. Kiku just stared after him and slowly started to get up. He then reached out for the kimono that Arthur had chosen for him. It was a black one that he owned that had pink sakura petals on it. After putting it on he glanced at the window.

The sky was still black, and he could tell it was a bit before sunrise. He glanced at Arthur, who appeared to be writing in that journal of his. _What is your purpose for waking me up this early?_ Kiku sighed as he finished making the bed and he sat down on it. He didn't like it when Arthur started to act different, or when he did things that he normally wouldn't do. It always put Kiku on the edge; for he had no idea why the pirate would change his attitude like that.

He glanced at the door as Arthur told whoever it was to come in. Kiku blinked as Matthew walked in with breakfast for two. Then Matthew put the food on the table. After speaking with Arthur for a bit Matthew left. Kiku just continued to sit there.

_Why is his attitude changing towards me? He was so keen on seeing me suffer. Why? Why is he acting like this towards me? Why is he being so… so… caring to me all of a sudden?_

This time Kiku was the one caught off guard as he was unexpectedly scooped off by Arthur. He shrieked and clung on to him as he was startled out of his thoughts.

"Did I scare you, love?" Arthur asked as he laughed at Kiku's reaction. All Kiku did was hide his face in Arthur's shirt in embarrassment and didn't reply. Kiku felt himself get lowered on his usual chair. He made himself comfortable as Arthur sat down on the chair in front of him. Kiku stayed silent as he ate; not sure how to react to Arthur's presence. This was getting weird, and it had been getting strange ever since he was allowed to get out of the room.

Arthur's change of attitude was confusing him. At first he acted very possessive over him; wouldn't let him out of the room, kept him chained up, would force himself on him every night, and would torment him daily by reminding him of the deaths of his sensei and crew, and now…

And now… it was as though he was becoming a different person towards him. Kiku had even been surprised when Arthur had given him money so he could buy whatever he wanted from the last port they visited. To begin with he was still confused over why Arthur had even allowed him to get off the ship and explore the port and the shops there. He had tried asking him before, but Arthur would always interrupt him before getting far into the question.

The only thing he didn't like about this 'freedom' was being forced to wear the anklet. He hated it that the bells jingled with every step he took. Even when he tried to not move so much they still detected it and jingled, alerting everyone of his presence. He hated not being able to go anywhere without catching everyone's attention. But despite that he was used to the anklet by now, and he didn't think much about it.

Despite his confusion he actually liked the fact that Arthur was stopping on his plans of making him suffer. It was by talking to both Lydia and Matthew that he finally managed to get over his grief for his crew, and most of all for his sensei. Those two had become his best friends and he was comfortable talking and hanging out with them. He could tell the rest of the crew was only putting up with his existence because of Arthur. But that didn't stop them from trying to do stuff to him when Arthur wasn't around. From the moment he was allowed to roam the ship there had been a total of ten incidents, and Kiku believed that Arthur didn't know about any of them, and if he did he wasn't showing it.

He had already gotten used to Arthur's presence, and he no longer tried to push him away. He was confused about that one as well. He was confused about why he reacted like that. Why was he accepting the bastard's control over him? Why wasn't he trying to run away againg? What were these strange emotions he felt whenever Arthur was near him?

"Come on, love. Everyone's waiting for the daily inspection." Arthur's voice interrupted his thoughts. He just stared at Arthur in confusion. _The inspection? He wants me to accompany him?_ Kiku blankly stared at Arthur's outstretched hand; once more confused about the pirate's intentions. Arthur, probably getting impatient, reached out and took his hand and pulled him out of the chair. Kiku stumbled and crashed into him.

"You okay, love?"

"Yes, I am fine." Kiku murmured as Arthur wrapped his arm around his waist and led him off to the upper deck.

_Love? Why does he call me that? Of course, I still haven't given him my real name. But why that nickname? I understand when he calls me 'pet,' but then again he only does that when we are in the presence of other people. Talking about other people, I hope Siberia got back home safely. I hope he tells brother and I hope they come get me out of this madness. For I'm getting confused, and now I don't know what to do…_

**Author's Note:**

Kind of noticed that I have the tendency of not writing down people's thoughts or emotions. Can't help it, I'm not the type of person to include a lot of those, and it's kind of awkward for me to write thoughts and emotions. Especially emotions. Hope I did a good job in kind of showing what they both thought. If not, criticism is accepted. So please, review!


	19. Mobilization of the East

"Lord Ivan there appears to be a small vessel up ahead, and it has the flag of one of the colonies of our empire."

"Which flag is it? Or else we are going to ignore the ship."

"It's the one with the five stripes colored blue, yellow, red, white, and green. The stripes all meet up in one of the lower corners."

"Pull up next to it. It must be important for they will never attempt a journey to the mainland. Their island is almost at the line that divides the ocean between east and west." Siberia nodded and the медведь pulled up next to the small vessel. A rope ladder was thrown and everyone waited for the vessels occupants to appear. After a while five people climbed aboard.

"Saya! May I ask why you are attempting to cross to the mainland?" Siberia asked as he looked at the captain of the vessel.

"We have urgent news to tell the emperor. It concerns one of the ships in the black fleet."

"Which one?"

"The _Tanchō._ A month or two back we found the remains of the ship. None of our boats at that time could make it all the way to the mainland safely. It took us a while to build one that would withstand the trip to the mainland and back." As she spoke Saya turned to one of her companions and took what appeared to be black cloth from him. Unfolding it she showed it to them.

It was the _Tanchō'_sflag, it was burnt but it was still fairly recognizable. After handing the flag to Siberia she turned and got a burnt piece of black wood. The wood had gold characters on it that Siberia recognized as Japanese, the language spoken in the southernmost territory of the East. Siberia accepted the wood and then showed them both to Ivan who took them from him in order to examine them.

"Saya if you wish you can come with us. We are also on our way to the imperial palace."

"You are? Then we shall accompany you for we need to reach the mainland quickly in order to give the emperor the news." At Siberia's orders Saya's vessel was securely tied to the медведь and they quickly continued their trek to the mainland.

**APH**

"No! It can't be!" Yao exclaimed as he took the burnt flag from Saya. Everyone was silent as the emperor stared in shock, first at the flag that was in his grasp and then at the burnt piece of wood that still had the _Tanchō_'s name on it.

"We give you our deepest regrets Your Highness," Saya said as she was handed the piece of wood. "But I am afraid that the _Tanchō_ no longer sails the sea."

"It can't be it can't be." Yao sobbed as he clung on to the flag. "All of them… all of them are dead."

"Not all of them Your Highness," Siberia spoke up from where he knelt next to Ivan. "Your younger brother still lives."

"Kiku? Where is he? Why isn't he with you?" Yao asked as he approached Siberia. Siberia flinched a bit at the emperor's tone, and he knew that in his grieving state Yao was capable of anything. Before anyone had the chance of seeing what Yao was intending to do Ivan stood up and pulled him into a hug.

"It's alright, Yao-yao."

"It's not alright! I have lost so many close friends," Yao sobbed as he allowed Ivan to pull him closer. Im Yong Soo and the other two approached them from where they had been standing. They approached Ivan and helped him calm down their brother.

"I'm fine now, Xièxiè." Yao said as he regained control of himself. "Sorry, Siberia. Can you please tell me where my brother is?"

"He's in the company of pirates. I managed to talk to him and he told me to tell you that he was captured by the man he encountered four to five years ago. He also told me that you would understand what he meant by that."

"That bastard!" Im Yong Soo exclaimed out of nowhere. "Don't tell me after attacking me he chased off after Kiku-nii?"

"You encountered him?" Yao asked looking alarmed.

"Yes, he managed to defeat me, and captured my ship. But Ha-Neul came to our rescue so nothing happened. Why are you looking so worried Yao-nii?"

"Of course… you weren't there…" Yao murmured. "Where's Ling? I need her here."

"Huh? Are we talking about that one person that commanded the ship that-"

"Yes, that one. You were with Kiku when he attacked. Where's Ling?"

"I'm here, what is it your Highness?"

"Get the _Yù lóng_ ready. We leave as soon as possible." Ling bowed and quickly left.

"I'll go and tell Seoul to get the _Sibeliaholang-I_ ready. I'll tell Ha-Neul as well, she might want to come as well." Im Yong Soo said as he followed Ling out of the room.

"I'll get my ship ready," Sakura said. But Yao stopped her before she could leave.

"There is no need to Sakura. But if you wish to come then you will come in the _Yù lóng_ with me and the others."

"Siberia, go and make sure the медведь is ready to leave. Saya if you wish to come with us you may."

"No thanks. I need to go back to my island."

"If you wish I can have someone take you there."

"There is no need to your Majesty. We just need to stock up on provisions and we shall be on our way. Let's go," Saya said as she bowed to Yao before turning around and leaving with her small crew.

"I'm going," Kaoru said as he looked at Yao.

"And I am too," Meimei said as she stood next to her brother.

"And I want to go as well." Everyone turned to stare at the 13 year old boy that stood in the doorway.

"Kiseki-kun! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training?"

"Xi'an ended the lesson early so I came over here to see if any of you wanted to take over. I want to come as well."

"No, you're too young," Kaoru said as he walked over to Kiseki. "Come on; let's go see if any of the others want to teach you anything." Kaoru reached out and tried to grab the child. But Kiseki moved away from him and made his way to Yao.

"Onegai, Yao-sama. Let me accompany you to rescue nii-san. It's the least I can do to repay him for everything that he has done for me." Kiseki said as he knelt in front of Yao. "Your Majesty, please allow me to pay part of the debt I owe him for rescuing me all those years ago." Everyone's eyes landed on Yao as he looked at the young boy in front of him.

"Kiseki-kun, you know you are part of the family, and as such you don't need to use such formalities." Yao said at last as he reached down and lifted Kiseki so he was standing up again. "You may come with us, but you are to still keep up with your training. Kaoru, help him pack his stuff. We'll, hopefully, be leaving tomorrow."

"Thank-you Yao-san!" Kiseki exclaimed as he hugged Yao, who in turn hugged him back.

"Kiseki-kun! Hayaku! We have to get all of your stuff ready for tomorrow!" Meimei exclaimed as she stood next to Kaoru.

"Hai! Ikou!" Kiseki ran over to both of them and all three zoomed to his room.

"You sure it's wise to let the little one come along?" Ivan asked after the three had left.

"Yes, I am sure. He, like Kiku, feels that he needs to repay everything that their saviors did and have done for them. Besides, he was probably going to have found a way to sneak aboard the _Yù lóng_ and he would have come along anyway. Now Ivan, there is a lot of stuff I have to discuss with you right now. So let's go to my study."

"Da, let's go Yao-Yao," Ivan said as he took Yao's hand and they walked to his study to prepare for the coming conflict."

**Author's Note:**

So _the little one_ has finally made an appearance! He will turn out to be a key piece later. His name means _miracle_. Kiseki is considered part of the family, and even then he only calls Kiku nii-san. Everyone else is either san or sama. He does call his teachers _sensei_, but not as much since he calls Kiku that as well.

Saya is the lady of an island by the ocean's center. The East and the West had a lot of wars over all the islands that were in disputed waters (which were all the island's located near the invisible line that divides the ocean between east and west). The island of Seychelles was one of the many islands that the East won from the West.

Yes, Ivan and Yao are together. Which is the reason why he is eager to help Yao save Kiku.

Any questions or comments? Please review!

**Hayaku-** Hurry up

**Xièxiè-** Thank You


	20. The Western Lands

"Wow! So this is what the West looks like!" Kaoru exclaimed as he, Meimei, and Kiseki were leaning over the rail of the _Yù lóng_ as the ship approached the port.

"It looks so strange and different from back home." Meimei added.

"Nee-san's right! This section of the world is so strange." Kiseki said as he looked at Meimei and Kaoru.

"And don't forget that they believe that our section of the world is strange as well." Yao's voice came from right behind them. "And don't lean over too much I am not in the mood of having to fish you out of the water." He added as the three of them jumped startled by his sudden appearance.

"Yao-san, so this is where I once used to live?" Kiseki asked as he looked back to the strange wonders of the west.

"Yes, it is Kiseki," Yao said as he stood next to him. "But you probably don't remember this place. You were still a young child when Kiku rescued you."

"I know. I don't remember much of my early childhood. This all looks and feels new to me. Even though I know it isn't."

"You three are free to explore the port. Just make sure you take someone who knows the area, and don't get lost. Especially you Kiseki they won't know that you are with us."

"We understand!" Yao smiled as the three of them went to hunt down anyone that will accompany them. When the ship docked at the port the three of them dragged Xi'an and Sakura to explore the Western port with them.

"It's crowded isn't it?"

"Of course it is. Spring has arrived and a lot of ships will be departing soon." Sakura said as they made their way across the busy port. Kaoru and Meimei had already seen westerners but, even though he was one, Kiseki had never seen them, or interacted with them. He knew at one point in his life he had, but those memories were from ten years ago, and he didn't recall any of the people he vaguely remembered.

"Hope you guys were paying attention in your English lessons. The people here will probably not understand any other language but their own native one."

"We have! We may have ditched the others once in a while, but you know how Yao-nii is when we skip our foreign language classes!" Meimei said in English at Sakura. Kaoru and Kiseki laughed as Sakura shook her head.

"Come on, then. But we can't stay long. I don't know when Yao-san will want to leave so we better look around and leave quickly."

"Let's go buy some stuff!"

"Yeah!"

**APH**

"We have finally reached the Western lands," Yao said as he turned to stare at the others that were assembled. "We must decide what we are going to do now."

"We could ask people if they have seen the ship that we are looking for," Siberia suggested as he looked at Ivan. "I believe it's called the _Mary Celeste._ I managed to glimpse the ship's name as it left."

"Da, we could do that Yao-yao."

"Yes we can. The problem is finding someone who is going to willingly hand that information over."

"How come?"

"The people here are not going to hand that information over. The only ones that might be capable are the captains of the merchant ships. But even they might not speak."

"That's right. Many people will rather not hand over information of the King of the Western Seas very easily. He is feared in this section of the world."

"So finding information is not going to be very easy after all."

"I'm afraid it's not. But either way, I have already sent people to see if anyone is going to be helpful in this port. If not we leave before sundown."

"Do either Sakura or Xi'an know that information?"

"No, they don't." Yao said as he sat down in his chair and looked at them. "But they do know that they are to be back before sundown. So if this place turns out to be futile then we leave when they return."

"You don't worry that the little one might be taken by the people here? He is, after all, one of their own."

"I told them to take precautions, and Xi'an knows that. He's the one that is going to be keeping an eye on Kiseki. I don't need anything happening to the child for Kiku will never forgive me and I'll never forgive myself either."

**APH**

"So did you guys have fun?" Yao asked when Sakura and Xi'an came back with the three kids.

"It was fun! We even bought some stuff," Meimei exclaimed as she wrapped a pink scarf around her neck. Yao noticed Kiseki had a blue scarf and Kaoru had a maroon one.

"Hope you guys explored and got everything you wanted we are leaving now."

"We are? How come?"

"No one gave us the information we wanted. So we are going to go searching for someone who will."

"Yeah, we are done Yao-san," Kiseki said as he adjusted the blue sailor hat he had bought for himself.

"Here let me help you," Yao said as he adjusted the hat for him. "There, now let's hope it doesn't blow away in the wind."

"Xièxiè Yao-san" Kiseki said before he followed Kaoru and Meimei below deck.

"Let's go!" Yao commanded. "Xi'an go and give the order to the _Sibeliaholang-I_ and the медведь that it's time to go." Xi'an nodded and zoomed off. A while later all three ships left the port and once more headed back to the open sea.

**Author's** **Note:**

Kiseki is not Asian! He is actually a westerner, but he has lived the majority of his life in the East. The rest of the information on him shall be released in future chapters!

And as I told one of my readers (Shizuki Kuruizaki) I have entered what I like to call the **gambled chapters.**

**Gambled Chapters:** All of the chapters that are in this category had very little planning before I started to write them. You can say I make them up as I go. But even then, the gamble chapter usually don't last very long, because at some point they lightened up the path to the story's end. This happened in Fear Garden as well. Now off to the next chapter!


	21. Conflict

"Finally we are away from that freezing hell hole!" Alfred exclaimed as the _Mary Celeste_ made its way out of the Icy Sea and into the warmer climate of the South.

"Honestly Alfred the cold temperatures aren't that bad," Matthew said as he looked at his brother.

"Yes they are! Who in the world wants to live all the way up here?"

"Stop complaining Alfred. It's your turn to be in the crow's nest or have you forgotten already?" Both Matthew and Alfred turned around to see Arthur standing behind them. He had his arms crossed and was glaring at both of them. "And isn't Matthew supposed to be helping Lydia with the cooking?"

"We were, but we wanted to come and enjoy the warm weather," Matthew said as he grabbed Alfred by the arm. "Let's go, Alfred." Arthur shook his head as the twins quickly took off. His eyes once more wandered to the railing, and they quickly found the person he was looking for. Kiku was just standing there gazing at the ocean once more. Arthur quietly walked over and wrapped his arms around Kiku's waist.

"Why are you so deep in thought love?" Arthur asked as he felt Kiku give a small jump of surprise.

"Uh…" Kiku blinked and looked back at the ocean. "It's nothing."

_How am I to tell you that I wish to go home?_

"So… are you glad that we are out of the cold?" Arthur asked trying to make conversation as Kiku stayed silent.

"I don't mind the cold…" Kiku murmured. "Where are we going now?"

"For now to the south. The merchant ships will be more plentiful and that means we don't need to head to the mainland in a while."

"I already told you I am not participating in your childish game."

"And I already told you, you are going to be participating whether you like it or not."

_Why do I have to help you?_

"Can you answer some of my questions?"

"It depends what they are." _And if I am willing to answer them…_

"Who was with you on that day five years ago?" Kiku stiffened and stayed silent as he felt everything come to a standstill. _There is no way in hell…_

"That's… it's none of your business of who was with me on that day."

"Yes it is. You know very well why it's also my business. So will you tell me?"

"No, never." _I rather die as your prisoner than allow you to hurt the others_.

"Why not?"

"It's classified. Everything's classified."

"Don't tell me that you want to receive their punishments as well?" Arthur asked as he twisted Kiku around so they were staring at each other. "Well answer me."

"I… why your sudden interest in the others? Why are you barely asking me now?" Kiku demanded as he glared up at Arthur.

"Because I figured it was the right time for me to ask you. I waited in order to make sure that when I asked you-"

"I'll hand over the information without hesitation. That's it isn't it?"

"Don't be difficult love. Just answer my question, and I promise I won't hurt the others." As he spoke Arthur grabbed Kiku's head and kissed him. Kiku reached up, grabbed Arthur by the arms and after a while successfully shoved him off.

"No! I refuse to give you what you want!" Kiku's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. "That's the reason why your attitude has been changing so much! You have been trying to butter me up so that I would hand my comrades to you on a golden platter!"

"That's not it love," Arthur began as he reached out and touched Kiku's face with one hand. But before he could continue Kiku slapped his hand away.

"Don't call me that! I am not your love!"

"What else can I call you? You haven't given me your real name."

"And with good reason! Why should I give my name to a scoundrel like you? And don't touch me!" Kiku snapped as he swatted Arthur's hand away.

"There's no need to be feisty," Arthur said as he tried to get hold of Kiku again, who in turn simply shifted out of the way.

"Why shouldn't I be? You are trying to use me for your revenge over events that will never change! Why don't you simply leave the past in the past?"

"Because," Arthur said as he finally got hold of Kiku. "You people took everything away from me that day. And I won't stop until I have taken out my wrath on all of them."

"Why do you keep acting as though you are the only person that's suffering in this world? The world doesn't revolve around you Arthur Kirkland! So stop acting like it is and grow up! You act like a spoiled child."

"And you are no different. Both of us are the same."

"No we are not!" Kiku said as he struggled to break free from Arthur's grasp. "At least I am not going around toying with other people's emotions! That's all you being doing until now. You have been toying with me. I can't believe I let myself think that you cared about me!" Arthur stopped struggling with Kiku and stared at him. Kiku looked startled when Arthur stopped fighting him back. Kiku suddenly blushed and looked away as he realized what he had said.

"Augh! I can't believe you made me say that!" Kiku exclaimed as he broke out of Arthur's grasp. Then before Arthur could do anything Kiku stormed off and quickly fled below deck. He went into Arthur's room, locked the door, and hid under the bed covers.

_I can't believe I said that! Why did I have to say that out loud? Wait… why did I say that out loud? Damn, stupid pirate! I am getting confused again… why am I crying? It's not like I cared about him at all… but why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like he betrayed me…? What are all of these emotions I am feeling? Why can't I stop crying at his betrayal? _

After a while Kiku just laid there on the bed clutching the pillow. He hiccupped as he shifted a little and snuggled deeper into the pillow, hugging it as if it was a stuffed animal. Then he heard the sound of the door unlocking. He stayed still as he heard someone approach and sit on the edge of the bed. He flinched away as he felt Arthur reach out to touch him.

Arthur eventually reached out again and pried him away from the pillow. Kiku weakly struggled as Arthur pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that question. Will you forgive me?" Kiku shook his head as he hiccupped again before he began crying again. Arthur kept a firm grip on Kiku as he struggled to get out of his grasp.

_Why can't he see I want to be left alone? Why won't he leave me alone? And what in the world made him think I am going to forgive him just because he asks me to?_

Arthur felt Kiku stop struggling at some point, and he began to run his fingers through Kiku's silky black hair as Kiku continued to cry onto Arthur. Kiku fell asleep after a while, having worn himself out. Arthur continued to hold him as he grabbed a small cloth and used it to wipe the tears that still decorated Kiku's face.

_How long is it going to take me to gain your trust again, love? I don't like seeing you mad or sad. I shouldn't have tried to use you in order to get to the rest of them. I'm sorry. I promise not to bring the subject up again. I hope you can find room in your heart to forgive me. Rest now my love, there is a lot of stuff we need to discuss tomorrow…_

__**Author's Note:**

Stupid Arthur...

Anyway *cough cough* this chapter was a gambled chapter. I have absolutely no idea how (or why) I decided to make this chapter like this. The next chapter isn't a gambled one. I actually know what's going to happen! But then the gambling begins again. *gloom*

Questions, comments, or criticism? Review!


	22. Attack From the East

"Your Highness! We can see the _Mary Celeste_!"

"Guess the informant wasn't lying after all," Sakura said as she looked through her telescope. "It is the _Mary Celeste._ What do you wish to so Yao-sama?"

"Signal to the others to get ready. Kaoru! Tell the crew to get the cannons ready. We are going to engage in battle soon." Yao momentarily went back to his quarters before coming back out, dressed for battle and holding the _jian_ that Takashi had made for him. Meimei was right behind him holding her butterfly swords before expertly hiding them in her sleeves.

"Are we really going to attack the ship with all of us at once?" Kaoru asked as he appeared with Kiseki following him, both of them armed.

"No. I already talked with Ivan and Im Yong Soo. They are to standby unless I say so." Yao replied as he gave the signal and the _Yù lóng_ advanced upon her prey.

**APH**

"Captain! There are three ships approaching from the West!" Arthur took out his telescope and quickly looked in the direction the ships were coming. He instantly recognized the other two ships from the black fleet. It took him a while, but he finally recognized the third ship as the merchant ship they had encountered in the Iceberg's Circle.

"All hands to stations! Enemy ships approaching!" Arthur shouted as the _Mary Celeste_ was suddenly in a frenzy of activity. Arthur immediately headed to his quarters as the whole ship started getting ready for the approaching battle.

Kiku looked up when the _Mary Celeste_ rocked from the impact of multiple cannons. He was starting to get up from the chair he was seated at when the door burst open and Arthur walked in. Kiku just stared at Arthur as he started to grab all of the weapons he believed he would need.

"What's going on?" Kiku finally asked as Arthur was starting to leave.

"We are being attacked and I want you to stay here."

"No, let me help you." Kiku said as he stood up to follow him. Arthur sighed and quickly grabbed Kiku and pushed him back onto the chair. Next thing Kiku knew Arthur had handcuffed him to the chair.

"Sorry love. But this is one battle I won't let you participate in. Stay in here like a good boy. I'll be back soon." Arthur then kissed Kiku and quickly left, locking the door behind him. Kiku then started looking around and spotting something he stood up and walked to it as he dragged the chair along.

The battle had already begun when Arthur reached the upper deck. Pulling out his sword he quickly went to help his men. The battle continued as the other two ships circled around waiting for the signal to join the fight between the _Mary Celeste_ and the _Yù lóng_. As Arthur struck one of the attackers down he spotted one of the people he was looking for.

It was an Asian boy with brown hair wearing a burgundy-colored duangua and dark brown pants. He was fighting alongside a girl with butterfly swords. Both of them were busy fighting and they didn't notice as he approached them. Just as he was about to attack the boy someone stepped in front of him and blocked his attack with a wakizashi. The person then shoved him backwards away from his targets before launching an attack at him.

He managed to shove his attacker away in order to get a good look at him. The boy in front of him was wearing a blue kimono and was holding a blade that looked similar to one of Kiku's. But that wasn't what made Arthur freeze in surprise. The boy was obviously a westerner; he had blond hair, eyes that appeared to have taken their color from the ocean, and the thick eyebrows that were common in his own family line…

"Pe-" Arthur began but was interrupted when Kiseki attacked him. Arthur immediately went on the defensive trying to figure out the weakness behind the boy's attacks. He had to admit that the boy had been very well trained. His moves were calculated and he was studying Arthur's movements as they both fought. Finally Arthur spotted the boy's weak point and quickly began doing a counterattack. Kiseki returned the attack. Spotting Kiseki's weakness once more he moved and seized the boy, pinned both of his arms, and made him drop his weapon.

"Let me go!" Kiseki snapped struggling to break free of his captor's grasp.

"I'm not letting go of you… Peter." Kiseki (or Peter) stopped struggling and looked up at Arthur in surprise.

"How do you know my real name?" Kiseki asked as he looked into Arthur's green eyes. "No one but sensei knows my real name." Before Arthur could reply he suddenly felt a searing pain on his back as he was forced to let go of the boy. He was immediately grabbed and chained up as the battle started to come to a halt. He looked up to see another one of the people he was looking for. The person was holding Kiseki as the child looked at Arthur from behind the person's protective arms.

"Kaoru," Yao said as he turned to look for his younger brother. Arthur spotted the boy he had been about to attack walk over with the girl following him. "Take Kiseki back to the ship and signal to the others that we have won." Kaoru nodded and he and Meimei led Kiseki off. The child turned and shot him one last look before he was ushered aboard the _Yù lóng._

"I see we have encountered once more Kirkland," Yao said as he looked back at Arthur who in turn glared daggers at him. "You have been causing a lot of trouble for my country lately."

_Country? Don't tell me…_

"What are you after? Why have you been behind my brother's trail all this time?"

_Brother?_

"You know why. I want to make you guys pay for what you did five years ago."

"I am afraid I cannot let you continue to hurt the members of my family. What you did to the _Tanchō_ and her crew was the last time you have harmed the people that are close to me." As Yao spoke he took out his _jian_ and pointed at Arthur. "I should have ended everything all those years ago, but in was because of my brother that I allowed you and your crew to live. That turned out to be a mistake. You killed Hokkaido and a lot of other people that were not involved in the incident." Arthur just continued glaring at Yao who was now pointing the blade at his throat.

"I'll repay to you in kind to what you did to the _Tanchō_."

"Then I'll simply come back and hunt you down in order to make you pay once more."

"I'm afraid not," Yao replied his voice suddenly cold. "I don't need the ghosts of the past to resurface again. I, Wang Yao, Emperor of the East, declare you guilty of piracy, murder, and kidnapture. And your punishment is immediate death by decapitation." As he spoke Yao lifted up his sword, ignoring the shouts from the pirate's crew. Arthur glared at Yao, determined not to show weakness in front of the emperor. Arthur tried not to cringe or betray his emotions as Yao's hand descended.

_Jingle. Jingle_

"Iie! Yamete nii-sama!"

**Author's Note:**

No! Arthur! Sorry for leaving you people in suspense but its 12:34 am and my brain cells are going to die off if I try to type the next chapter right now. *gloom*

The person Arthur had been about to attack (until he was interrupted) was Kaoru. His involvement, along with Yao's, in the event of five years prior will be revealed in due time. The rest of the people that were involved are going to appear next chapter. Or most of them (I still have to figure this part out).

As I have finally revealed Kiseki is in reality Peter Kirkland (Sealand). He is (as I have already mentioned) a key piece in this story. The reason why he is with Kiku and the others shall be revealed in due time. Including the reason why he doesn't recognize Arthur at all.

Will upload the next chapter later. For now I have to let my brain rest...


	23. Freedom?

"Iie! Yamete nii-sama!"

Everyone practically turned around to the person that had spoken. Yao froze and looked up, his sword inches from Arthur's throat. Arthur was surprised to hear the voice, but he slowly turned around and glanced first at the sword then at the person that had appeared.

Kiku was standing there, panting from the sprint he had taken from Arthur's quarters. It had taken him ages to free one of his hands, but being unable to free the second one he had no choice but to break the chair. Then he used said chair to knock the door down. By that time he noticed that all noise had ceased in the upper deck. Frightened about what was happening he had run with all his might to the upper deck. He was surprised and shocked to see Yao standing there, lifting his sword as he was about to kill Arthur. He didn't want for this to happen and he had to stop it.

And now everyone was staring at him as he struggled to get his breath back. Kiku looked at Yao who was staring at him with a concerned look on his face. Just as Yao opened his mouth to say something Kiku lunged forward and launched himself into the arms of his brother. Yao immediately lowered his sword and pulled Kiku closer as his younger brother hugged him.

"Yao-nii, I missed you so much," Kiku said his voice muffled as he buried his face on Yao's shoulder.

"I missed you as well. I was frightened when Siberia told me that you got captured." Yao then let Kiku go and held Kiku's face in his hands as they looked into each other's eyes. "Did he harm you?"

"No, nii-san. He didn't." Kiku said as he calmly looked back at his brother.

"NII-SAN!" Yao and Kiku jumped as Kiku was suddenly hugged by Im Yong Soo and Ha-Neul.

"Im Yong Soo! Ha-Neul!" Kiku exclaimed as he was being smothered by the twins. Arthur heard more people walking over and he turned from the family reunion to where the footsteps came from. The merchant ship had pulled up on one side of the _Mary Celeste_ and some of its crew was approaching. He immediately recognized the captain, who was walking behind another of the people he was hunting down. The person glanced at him before walking over to Yao.

"So it looks like Kiku is alright Yao-yao." Ivan said as he wrapped one arm around the emperor.

"Kiku! Told you I would fetch your brother!" Siberia exclaimed as he pulled Kiku from the twin's grasp, earning a "Hey" from both of them.

"Thank you, Siberia. I knew I could trust in you," Kiku replied as he accepted the hug.

"Yo, Kiku-nii." Im Yon Soo's voice made Kiku look up at him. "What's the thing around your ankle, and the handcuffs on your wrist?"

_Shoot. I forgot about those!_

"Uh… well… when the battle broke out he handcuffed me to a chair. I managed to free one hand, but since I couldn't free the other I was forced to break the arm of the chair. And the anklet…" Kiku hesitated; knowing what might happen if he revealed it. But Siberia already knew and he might tell his brother. Plus Siberia probably told Ivan which meant… "The anklet… signifies that… I belong to him… in all senses of the word."

"Bastard! You shall pay with your life!" Yao exclaimed as he broke away from Ivan and lifted his sword once more.

"Iie! Yamete Yao-nii!" Kiku exclaimed as he broke free of Siberia and grabbed his brother's lifted arm. "Please, don't do it."

"Why not? He burned the _Tanchō_ with everyone else onboard, and made you his 'little pet'." Kiku didn't turn around as Siberia spoke. "Why are you protecting him? Do you-?"

"No, I don't. Don't suggest ridiculous things like that Siberia." Kiku's voice had a cold edge to it as he glanced at Siberia before turning to look at his brother. "I simply don't want you to kill him, because I don't think he deserves to die yet. I want him to suffer and pay with _his blood_ all the suffering that he has caused. So I beg of you, brother, to not kill him… yet."

"Da, he does have a point Yao-yao," Ivan interrupted before Yao could reply. "The pirate should suffer for his crimes, before receiving the ultimate punishment"

"Alright then," Yao finally replied after a moment of careful thinking. "You," as he turned back to Arthur. "For now your life has been spared once more by my brother. But this time your interference won't be punished lightly. Im Yong Soo and Ha-Neul, take him to the brig on my ship. Ivan and Siberia split the prisoners up between the three ships. Xi'an, get people and tie the _Mary Celeste_ to the _Yù lóng_. Everyone may go to their respective ships now. We are going back home."

Arthur just watched quietly as many things unfolded in front of him. One of the people he was hunting down turned out to be the emperor of the East, another apparently was his consort. He could tell the one named Kaoru was somehow related to the emperor, and then Kiku… the person who had been living with him for the past months, the person that had refused to hand over his name… The person that had spared his life, but only to appease his feelings of revenge.

_Kiku, so that's his name. Why is he so keen on seeking revenge on his death crew? He, himself, told me that he never lingered on the incidents of the past. He said it was too troublesome and that it wasn't necessary to linger on things that can never be changed. Did he lie to me? All this time… has he been waiting for the opportunity to unleash all the anger he has for my actions?_

Arthur's train of thought was interrupted as he was lifted upwards by Ha-Neul and Im Yon Soo. They firmly held on to him as they followed Yao, Kiku, and the Yao's crew back onto the _Yù lóng_. He noticed that some of his crew was also being led onto the emperor's ship, the rest were being led onto the merchant ship, and even they were split up as half were sent to the _Sibeliaholang-I_. The _Sibeliaholang-I_ was alongside the медведь as the prisoners were transferred onto it.

"Kiku-nii! You are okay!" Arthur turned and spotted Peter ran up to Kiku and hugged him.

"Kiseki! I have missed you so much!" Kiku hugged Peter as the 13 year old clung on to him. "How have you been? You didn't cause Yao-nii any trouble? You attended all of your lessons, right?"

"Oh sensei!" Peter laughed. "I'm fine and no, I didn't cause any trouble and I attended all of my lessons. Plus Yao-san was also giving me classes in martial arts, and I attended all of them as well."

"He wasn't any trouble at all Kiku" Yao said with a smile as he walked over to them. "He has greatly improved in all of his classes. Isn't that right, Kiseki?"

"Hai!"

As Arthur was led past them he glanced at both of them. Kiku avoided looking at him and Peter shifted in Kiku's grasp in order to look at him. Their eyes briefly met before Arthur was led below deck.

"I'll see if anyone can take those things off of you." Yao said as he touched the handcuff. "Maybe Kaoru will be able to…"

"He'll be able to take the handcuff off, but I want to keep the anklet. That is if you don't mind Yao-nii."

"If you wish to keep it you may. Even though I don't understand why you would want to keep something that he gave you," Yao replied as he blinked at Kiku in surprise. "I'll go fetch Kaoru."

"Nii-san," Peter said after Yao had left. "Why does that man know my real name?"

"What do you mean Kiseki?"

"He captured me briefly during the battle. He had been about to attack Kaoru-san, but I stopped him. When I told him to let me go he said he wasn't going to and then he called me by my real name, Peter. I never got the answer to why he called me that because Yao-san attacked him at that moment."

"I don't know… maybe… he knows something about your family." Kiku hesitantly replied as he and Peter headed for the railing of the _Yù lóng_.

"You think any of them are still alive?"

"Maybe. Only time will tell," Kiku replied as both of them gazed out to the deep blue sea…

**Author's Note:**

Wah! Sorry for not updating for the past... two days I think. I got 'busy' and totally distracted because I ended up looking AsaKiku pictures, and watching a three hour documentary for the past two days...

Okay... Arthur is still alive... For now I guess... Um...

As revealed Ivan is also involved in that little incident five years ago...

All of those involved are Yao, Kiku, Kaoru, and Ivan. Many others were also involved but they are their crews.

A little something should be revealed in the next two chapters...

Sorry if their change of attitude is confusing to you guys. Between Kiku's capture and this chapter it's been three to four months. So a lot of things are not the same from previous chapters. That too shall be revealed in its own time.

**P.S.** My sister (skyh8er) is writing an AsaKiku fanfic titled _Diamond Chrysanthemum. _If anyone is interested... She barely has it on Chapter 2... N unfortunately her life is more busy than mine so she updates kind of slow...


	24. Kiseki

"I'm done nii-san." Kiku looked up to see Peter put down his pen before standing up and walking over with the essay he had just finished writing in English. Kiku studied it as Peter re-read it over his shoulder.

"You have definitely improved in your writing," Kiku said as he turned to stare at Peter. "A few grammatical errors, but that's about it."

"Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"No, you may go to the upper deck and relax if you want. You really deserve it."

"Yay! Thanks sensei!" Peter said as he hugged Kiku, who smiled and returned the embrace. Then the 13 year old zoomed to the upper deck. Peter went and hanged out by the railing as he watched the crew perform their everyday duties.

He liked coming to the railing and watch the ocean. It was one of the many activities he liked doing with his sensei. At first he didn't like it, but Kiku would hold on to him as they daily went to gaze at the ocean. He would cling on to him, terrified of remembering what had happened. Memories that were vague since he had been a child when it happened, and time itself had been erasing those memories from ten years ago. But soon the daily visits to the ocean started to become a habit and he began to enjoy them. At some point he began to come to the railing to have some time for himself.

"Enjoying the view Kiseki?" Peter looked up as Ling walked over and joined him at the railing.

"Yes. The ocean is very beautiful today, Ling-san"

"Both you and Kiku seem to enjoy admiring the ocean a lot."

"Kiku-nii says the ocean is his tomodachi, and I believe she is mine as well."

"I see." Both of them just stood there admiring the ocean before Ling remembered the reason why she had been looking for Kiseki.

"Kiseki, Xi'an wants you to help him in the kitchen."

"He does?"

"Yes, he wants you to help him bring the food to the prisoners."

"Thanks for telling me. I shall be going now. Mata ne Ling-san!" Kiseki made his way to the ship's kitchen and walked in as Xi'an was ushering people with trays that had the food for the prisoners.

"You called for me Xi'an-san?" Xi'an turned to see peter standing by the doorway.

"Yes. I need you to help me to take the food to the prisoners. Here take this tray to Cell 3."

"Hai, Xi'an-san." Kiseki said as he took the tray before heading off to the brig.

**APH**

Arthur just sat there on the corner of his cell as he heard some of the crew of the _Yù lóng_ enter and start to bring the food in. Arthur just ignored them as he rubbed some of the bruises on his arm. The bastards hadn't even waited a day before they started giving him the punishment for the burning of the _Tanchō_. Kiku never came with the others, despite the fact he said he wanted to make him regret what had happened to his beloved ship.

The past four days were nothing but a piece of the hell that he knew was waiting when they reached the mainland. He never understood what they would tell him, for they preferred to speak in their native tongue when they discussed stuff. They would also ignore him when he would ask them questions. The only one that spoke to him in English was the emperor himself, and even then it was to ask him about his motives behind the _Tanchō_'s burning and Kiku's kidnapture.

"I have brought you your food, Arthur-san." Arthur looked up startled to see Peter walk into his cell and place down a tray of food in front of him. He was surprised to see that they had allowed the child to bring him his food. But they probably didn't see him as much of a danger since he was chained up. For the past four days he had seen more varieties of Eastern cooking than he would have liked.

"You must find the food we eat to be strange, no?" Peter asked as he knelt at a safe distance from the pirate. "I guess the west and east are like the opposite sides of a magnet."

"Thanks for the food, Peter." Arthur almost jumped when Peter moved and put one of his fingers to his mouth.

"Please, my name is Kiseki. It would be wise if you can call me that."

"Why? What's wrong with calling you by your real name?" Arthur asked after Peter removed his finger.

"I am not exactly sure why, but sensei says it's dangerous for the rest of the crew to find out what my real name is. He was the one that chose my new name for me."

"How long have you been living with this people? Don't you have a family in the west?"

"Family? Not that I know of. If I do I don't remember. For you see I was three when Kiku-sensei rescued me from the raft I was on when the ship I was on burned and sank."

"Three? So that means you are…?"

"I am thirteen years old already. Kiku-sensei said that when I turned thirteen he was going to start taking me on his trips. I have been training all this time in order to be able to work alongside him and repay the debt that I owe him."

"I see…"

"The only reason I remember my real name is because nii-san said it was best for me not to forget who I once was. He made sure I never forgot that my real name is Peter Kirkland." As he spoke, Peter got closer to Arthur and lowered his voice to a whisper so that Arthur had to strain to hear him. "And I am curious about one thing Arthur-san… How come you know my real name when none of the people, apart from nii-san, that I live with know what it is?"

"Because… I remember you P- I mean Kiseki," Arthur replied as he looked into the child's blue eyes. "I thought, we all thought, that you had perished aboard the passenger ship with mother. The reason I recognized who you are… is because… I am your eldest brother."

"Kiseki!" Peter immediately moved away from Arthur, who looked up in surprise at the unexpected visitor. "I thought I told you not to come here."

"Gomen nii-san. But Xi'an-san asked me to help him bring the food to the prisoners."

Kiku looked between Arthur and Peter, as though trying to figure out what they had been talking about. Arthur noticed that Kiku wasn't wearing the anklet anymore, and he a cold air around himself. He also noticed a flash of panic in his eyes before he stretched out his hand and beckoned for Peter to follow him.

"Let's go, Kiseki. Yao-nii wants the entire family to join him for dinner in his quarters."

"Okay. Sayounara, Arthur-san." Kiseki said as he took Kiku's hand. Kiku relocked the cell, and stared thoughtfully at Arthur for a while before leading Peter away, leaving him alone so he could continue to suffer all of the wrongdoings of his past…

**Author's Note:**

Was it _really_ the time to be making such revelations Arthur?

Anyway... sorry for my sudden late updates. The poems for my November Project are still killing my brain, thous making it difficult for me to update the other stories. This one will most likely be posted in the last week of this month. *Sigh*

I hope I am not confusing people with my vague (or lack of) description of everyone's thoughts and emotions.

Will be uploading Ch. 04 of Because I Love Him before calling it a night.

Reviews are highly appreciated!


	25. Gift from the Sea

_Ten Years Ago:_

The solitary passenger ship left the dock from the Eastern lands, taking her passengers back to their homeland. All of the passengers on the ship were westerners that had come to the east for tourism. Many of them had visited the east for the first time and they were eager to return home so that they could share with their families all the things that they were bringing back with them.

Children's laughter could be heard as the ship sailed towards the deep blue sea. The women were together gossiping while the men discussed world events. Everyone was hoping that the weather will be in their favor for a speedy return home. The ship sailed peacefully as the shore started to become nothing but a thin line in the horizon. And it was soon joined by the setting sun as the ship continued on its way.

"Peter!" The three year old boy looked up from where he was playing with some of the other children.

"Yes mother?"

"It's almost time for your bedtime. You can play with the children tomorrow."

"Okay." Peter waved bye to his friends as he hurried over to his mother and took her outstretched hand and followed her below deck to their quarters.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"How long are we going to be on this ship?"

"About a month or so. That is if the weather doesn't turn treacherous."

"So in a month we get to see father and my older brothers?"

"Yes. And you can give them what you got for them. Now rest little one. For we have a long trip ahead of us."

**Time Skip!**

Throughout the majority of the trip the passenger ship encountered no problems. They encountered a small storm as they reached the invisible line that divided east from west. Apart from that the trip had been made with no incident. Aboard the ship everything was going like it normally was. The crew did their daily chores, the children were playing and the grown-ups were busy with their own tasks as the day progressed.

The person on the crow's nest spotted a ship in the distance, but it was too far away to tell what kind it was. The ship continued to move closer as it made its way to them. Finally the ship got close enough to be recognized.

"Captain! A pirate ship is approaching us from the South!" The children upon hearing that all rushed to the railing in order to get a glimpse of the ship. Some of the grown-ups followed, some to make sure the children didn't fall and others went in order to see the ship for themselves. When it became obvious the pirate ship was definitely heading for them the women and children were ushered to hide in the cargo room while the men got ready for an attack.

The women calmed down the children as the ship rocked with the impact of multiple cannons as the pirate ship attacked them. At some point the pirate ship ceased firing and they couldn't hear anything that was happening in the upper deck. Footsteps were soon heard and to their horror the footsteps belonged to some of the pirate crew. All of them were tied and forced back onto the upper deck.

Cries of mourning filled the air when they saw what had become of their loved ones. Some of them were still alive, but the majority had been killed. After they were abandoned on the deck, they watched as the pirate crew stripped the ship of its treasures. Only after the last of the cargo had been transferred to the pirate ship did the captain pay heed to the captives.

"Well well. What a group of lovely young women!" the captain chuckled as he examined them. "Tsk. Tsk. Unfortunately only some of you are going to be needed. But first…" the captain turned and called for his first mate, who hurried over. "Get some of the others and check the women and children. Also take any valuables that they still posses."

The captain just stood there as they were being inspected. Then he spotted someone that he recognized and he walked over.

"What a good fortune I seem to have!" The captain exclaimed as he lifted the face of the woman that had caught his attention. "If it isn't Alice Kirkland, wife of the feared King of the Western Seas! So tell me my lady, what are you doing here without the protection of your husband?"

"That is none of your concern. I suggest for your own good that you stop this atrocity and let this people go."

"You call what I do an atrocity? I beg to differ my lady, but I am doing the exact same thing that your husband does. Or is it because you are on the other side of the coin that you are saying such things now?" Then the pirate noticed the small figure that was trying to cling on to Alice's dress despite the fact he was tied as well. "Well well. If it isn't your youngest child, Peter. He definitely resembles his father."

"You know plain well that when my husband hears of this he is going to be hunting you down."

"All we have to do is make sure he doesn't. Men, have you chosen which ones are staying? Good. Leave the rest on the ship. I am going to pay in kind to what you husband has done in the past. Men, get everything ready. We are sending this ship to the ocean's floor in fragments."

Alice waited until the pirates were busy before turning to Peter. Without the pirates knowledge she had freed herself and she quickly untied Peter. She pulled out an amulet that had been carefully hidden and slipped it into Peter's pocket without the child noticing. Alice then spotted chunks of the deck that had been formed due to the cannon impacts. She grabbed onto Peter as the ship rocked once more from what sounded like explosions and the air began to fill with the foul smell of burning wood.

The ship was tilting a bit to one side as she carried Peter to the biggest chunk of wood. It was barely big enough to support him. After putting him down she grabbed onto the wood and she dumped it onto the sea. Grabbing a bunch of ropes she quickly tied him and carefully (but quickly) lowered him before it could float away. She barely managed to cut the ropes loose before she was pulled away from the railing.

**APH**

"Your Highness there's smoke in the distance!"

"Where?" Yao demanded as he began to scan the seas. He spotted it almost as soon as the location was mentioned. "Approach it quickly. It looks like a ship's in trouble." The _Tanchō_ sped up in order to see if they could aid the burning ship. The crew was quickly mobilizing as the _Tanchō_ neared the burning vessel. Through the smoke they spotted a ship in the distance, sailing away.

"It looks like a pirate ship," Hokkaido commented as the lifeboats were being prepared to be lowered.

_What's all the excitement about?_ 15 year old Kiku thought as he stepped onto the upper deck. Kiku had been busy studying in his quarters until all the commotion started to annoy him so he went out of his room to investigate. Despite the fact that almost ten years had gone by since his father's death he still didn't like the idea of being aboard a ship. Much less the sight of a burning one.

His face paled as he spotted the reason behind the commotion. He quickly turned his back and went to the other side of the ship, determined to look in the opposite direction of the burning inferno behind him.

He leaned against the railing as he continued to hear the commotion behind himself. He was starting to wonder if he should go back to his quarters when something caught his eye. It looked like a big piece of driftwood, but he could tell there was someone, a child, clinging on to it. He still vividly remembered the four days he had spent on the lifeboat before he had been found by his nii-san and sensei. Peering closely he could tell the child was struggling to remain on the chunk of wood, which was barely big enough to sustain him.

There was no time to catch the attention of the others in order to reach the child on time. That much Kiku could tell, since it was obvious he was the only one that had spotted him. Without hesitation he grabbed onto the railing as he shouted for the child to hold on for a bit longer as he flung himself overboard. He quickly resurfaced and swam towards the child, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Shh… It's going to be alright." Kiku said in English as he got hold of the makeshift raft. "I'm not going to hurt you, little one. Now I want you to listen to me." The child nodded and Kiku noticed that his eyes were the same color as the sea. "I need you to be still. I am going to push you over to the ship over there. Do you understand?" The child nodded and grabbed on to the wood as Kiku began swimming back to the _Tanchō_.

Meanwhile Yao was watching as Kiku neared them. He, like everyone, had turned when they had heard Kiku shouting at someone. He momentarily freaked out when he realized Kiku had jumped into the ocean, but he calmed down when he spotted him going to the aid of a young child.

"Lower the rope ladder." Yao commanded as Kiku finally reached the ship. Kiku grabbed on to the ladder, but kept a hold of the raft. He managed to soothe the child into climbing the rope. He waited until the child was helped onboard before climbing it himself. He was immediately covered in a warm blanket before he quickly inspected the child.

"Yao-nii. Do you think we have clothes small enough for him?" Kiku asked as Yao joined him.

"I'll ask Xi'an and see. Take the child to your quarters. And you better change your clothes as well before you fall sick." Kiku nodded and carried the child to his quarters. He was grabbing some towels when he heard the child crying. He quickly turned and hugged the child who in turn clung on to him.

"Shh… little one. Everything is going to be okay." Kiku consoled the child as best as he could. Kiku then dried the child's tears as he made sure to keep the child warm. "What's your name little one?"

"Peter… Peter Kirkland." Kiku blinked and stared at the child.

"Um… Peter… can you tell me what happened?"

"My mother and I were travelling back home when our ship was attacked by pirates. We got tied up, but some of the crew and passengers got hurt and others were taken to the pirate ship. It was mother who got me on the little raft but I don't know what happened to her. Do you think my mommy is still okay?"

"I hope she is Peter." Kiku replied. A knock sounded on the door and Kiku stood up and went to answer it. Xi'an, Guilin, and Ling were standing there. "Oh, come in." Kiku moved aside as they both entered. Guilin and Xi'an headed for Kiku's washing room. Both were carrying buckets filled to the rim with steaming water. Ling, on the other hand, walked over to Peter and began measuring the clothes she was carrying.

"Have the child take a warm bath while I fix this kimono. You might want to take one too. I'll be right back." Ling said as she finished her calculations and left. Xi'an and Guilin left a bit afterwards. After ushering Peter to take a bath Kiku got Peter's wet clothes and after staring at them for a while he decided to keep them. He was putting them to dry at the back of a couple of chairs when he felt something in one of the pockets. Curious he took it out and realized it was a gold amulet with a skull engraved on it. On the other side of it it had the name _Kirkland_ engraved on the back.

Without thinking twice about it he went and carefully hid the amulet before grabbing a sheet of paper and wrote out a bunch of possible names for the child. He eventually decided on _Kiseki_, which meant miracle in his native language. Then he picked up the paper and went to tell the child of his plan before heading to speak to his older brother…

**Author's Note:**

I finally update this story! And thanks to that wall I finally managed to write this chapter! Don't worry I actually have the rest of the story planned out. (evil smile) Sorry about the long chapter...

Kiku's decision to change Peter's name and hide the amulet will be explained in further chapters.

The _Tanchō _was the first of the black ships (this was mentioned in Ch 01). It also was Yao's personal ship, but he gave it to Kiku once the latter had finished his training. Which is they reason why when he encounters Arthur for the first time he is the one in command of the _Tanchō._


	26. Imperial Palace

"Land ho!" Im Yong Soo shouted as the three ships finally reached the Eastern Empire.

"I bet you everyone in the empire heard you!" Im Yong Soo turned to see his sister grinning and shaking her head at him. "Come on, we have to discuss with Aniki what we are to do with the prisoners."

"Going!"

"Nii-san! We're back home!" Peter exclaimed as the ships docked and the planks were being lowered.

"Yes, I can see that" Kiku replied as he took Peter's hand. "I'm glad to finally be home."

"Glad to hear that." Both of them turned around to see Yao walking over. "And you might as well get used to it too. The construction of what was going to be the fourth black ship is still underway. And when it's done I shall give it to you Kiku."

"Arigatou Yao-nii."

"No need to thank me. After all what are siblings for?"

"Yo! Aniki!" They all turned as Im Yong Soo and Ha-Neul approached them. "What do we do with the prisoners?"

"Ivan is going to take care of most of them. There is only one exception. Oh, they are bringing him out already. Good, shall we go then?"

Arthur blinked in order to get accustomed to the bright light of the sun as he was led onto the upper deck. He immediately spotted the emperor and the others as they glanced at him as he was led off the ship. Kiku almost immediately averted his gaze and pulled Peter closer to himself.

"Sorry for keeping you guys waiting!" Kaoru and Meimei approached them as they zoomed past Arthur.

"Don't worry about it you two," Im Yong Soo said as the family began to walk off. "It's not like we are in a big hurry or anything."

"Yao-yao!"

"Looks like your boyfriend's calling for you _aniki._" Im Yong Soo laughed as he ducked from getting hit by Yao. That got everyone else laughing as Yao scowled at Im Yong Soo before he left to where Ivan was.

"Looks like Yao-san is going to go with Ivan-san, no?" Peter asked as they headed for the carriage that was going to take them home.

"That he is, but what is _he_ going to travel in?" Ha-Neul asked as she pointed at Arthur. Arthur, meanwhile, had been forced to follow them as he listened to them talking in languages he didn't understand, and he was wondering what one of the girls had said because now they were looking at him.

"Geez. Does anyone know?" Im Yong Soo finally said after they stood there thinking for a minute.

"Yes, sensei said that his guards will take him to the palace." Kaoru replied as he began walking again. "So, thankfully, we don't have to worry about that little detail."

"Alright! But I get the best seat!" Im Yong Soo shouted as he zoomed past Kaoru.

"Hey!"

"Cheater!"

"Come on Kiseki! Let's beat them to it!"

"Hai!"

"Get back here! That seat's mine!"

"No it isn't!" Im Yong Soo yelled back as they all chased him. To Arthur it was weird seeing them acting like children, but he could tell by the guards lack of reaction that they had seen them act like that plenty of times. Then the guards pulled him towards the prisoner's carriage that was waiting nearby.

"Tell me again how Kiseki won?" Im Yong Soo complained as they made their way towards the palace.

"Let's see… Ha-Neul tackled you so that took both of you out of the equation. Kaoru and I began arguing about who reached the carriage first and we got distracted, so that took both of us out. And Kiku-nii was on Team Kiseki so that explains why nothing happened to him." Meimei explained.

"And what are you complaining about Im Yong Soo?" Ha-Neul asked as she and some of the others began laughing again. "You know that Kiseki wins eight times out of ten!"

"Still…"

"We are here!" Meimei exclaimed as the carriage stopped and she immediately hopped off. Everyone else followed at a slower pace.

"Looks like sensei got here before us," Kaoru commented as they spotted Yao's carriage.

"Probably cause we ended up spending half an hour fighting over who gets what seat." Im Yong Soo said as they spotted the prisoner's carriage approaching. Everyone, except Kiku, looked at it as it rolled by.

"Looks like aniki decided to bring more people to the dungeons." Ha-Neul commented as they all made their way towards the gardens that surrounded the palace.

"Wonder why."

"Maybe Ivan couldn't take all of them aboard his own ship?"

"Could be, but doesn't he have those prison ships of his?"

"You know he only uses them for the capital punishment."

"How many does he have again?"

"Fifteen, ten are being used and the other five are being built as we speak."

"But didn't he have seventeen?"

"The last two were burned sometime ago."

"Oh yeah. He burns them when they get too costly…"

"No wonder Yao-nii lets him take care of the prisoners for him."

"Oh, look!" Meimei and Peter exclaimed, interrupting the talk of the others. Both of them ran to a tree that was located about ten meters away. "The sakura tree is in bloom!"

"Oh yes, I almost forgot it's spring already." Kiku said as they all went and sat down underneath the tree.

"Can't believe we almost missed it!"

"Be happy we didn't."

"I have an idea!" Meimei said as she stood up. "Let's have a picnic here and we could drag Yao-nii and Ivan over."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go tell the cooks."

"I'll get the blanket!"

"I'll go tell sensei and Ivan."

"Guess the rest of us will stay here. Be back in half an hour!"

"We will!"

**Author's Note:**

Decided to do something 'light' for now. The rest of the remaining chapters (around 8 to 9 more) will be coated in mystery.

Some of them will answer questions but they will also raise others.

Plus I decided to do something else with this story (that little detail will be revealed in the last chapter!)


	27. Surprise Visitor

Arthur sighed as he shifted as much as he could with the chains he had on. After taking him off the ship he had been joined by a bunch of others and they were all taken to the Imperial Palace in order to be dumped in dungeons. Either way the torture that had begun on the ship had traveled with him to the cell he now occupied.

He was wondering where the others were and if he would ever get to see his family again. He was surprised that his youngest brother, Peter, was still alive. And even more surprised when he realized that his brother was in the company of the people he had been hunting down. Lost deep in thought he didn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps. It wasn't until he heard the door of his cell open did he look up to see who had come to see him.

Kiku was standing there calmly looking down at him. For the first time in months their eyes met without Kiku breaking eye contact. And it was also the first time that Kiku came to see him. And due to that Arthur was surprised to see him there, alone.

"Kiku…"

"I see you know my name now."

"I heard the others call you that. But I was hoping to have heard that from your own mouth."

"I see, but under a lot of circumstances it couldn't be helped."

"May I ask why you finally decided to come see me?"

"I needed to speak to you."

"And whatever for?"

"A lot of things. I have waited quite a while, five years to be exact, in order to be able to ask you many things."

"I myself have questions to ask of you."

"Really? Last time I checked the only question that you wanted to know, apart from my name, was the identities of my family and friends."

"So you really are the emperor's brother."

"In a way I am and in a way I am not. But tell me Arthur Kirkland, do you recognize this?" Kiku asked as he pulled out something from inside his sleeve and showed it to Arthur as he knelt down near him. Arthur's eyes widened as he recognized the amulet in Kiku's hand.

"Where did you get this from? Don't tell me you are also responsible for mother's death?"

_Slap_

"Don't say such foolish things." Kiku replied coldly as he lowered his hand. Arthur winced and glared at Kiku as the right side of his face stung from the blow. "She was aboard a passenger ship that was burned down by what we believe was a pirate ship, for we never got a good look at it."

"Then how did you get hold of mother's amulet?"

"Kiseki had it when I rescued him from the sea. He would have fallen into the ocean and drown if I hadn't noticed him on time."

"Did he give it to you?"

"No, he doesn't even know the amulet exists." Kiku calmly replied as he hid the amulet again. "And apparently my hunch was correct. Kiseki is, or shall I say was, a member of your family."

"What do you mean 'was'? He still is! For he still lives and our blood runs through his veins!" Arthur snapped at Kiku who almost immediately slapped him again.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, _pirate_." Kiku calmly replied, even though his eyes shone with anger. "And don't dare remark such absurdities. Kiseki is a member of _my_ family and it is going to stay that way."

"He is going to find the truth out eventually!"

"I know, and I also know that you revealed that truth to him already." Kiku chuckled at Arthur's expression. "You two really had no idea how long I was standing there. But I was there long enough to hear that little confession of yours."

"Why don't you let him decide then who he wants to live with?"

"That is something else I won't allow. I have been protecting his real identity for the past ten years! And if I have to I will keep it safe for ten more!"

"Why? Why are you hiding such information from your family?"

"Because of the family he was born to."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I meant was that he was born to one of the most ruthless pirate families that exist in the western world. If you don't recall your family and mine are enemies. We have been trying to bring you down for a long time. If Yao-nii was to find out Kiseki is part of our most hated enemies he would try to use Kiseki to his advantage. And that is something I couldn't, and can't, allow."

"So you would use a child in order to satisfy your ambitions?"

"My brother yes, but I wouldn't be capable of. The sea made sure I spotted him and rescued him. She wanted me to protect him from my brother and others that want to harm him. So she handed him to me, because I was in a similar, and at the same time different, situation then he was."

"And what could you possibly mean by that."

"When I was five my father and I were travelling aboard a merchant ship. He was working on it as part of the crew, and I would help him since I was the only child aboard and there was nothing for me to do. Some time into out voyage we were attacked by pirates. I believe they killed everyone onboard when my father went to get me. He put me in a lifeboat and gave me my weapons before casting me out to the sea. The pirates set the ship on fire and I lost my father, the only living relative that I had left."

Arthur stayed silent as some of the puzzle pieces went into place. He know understood fully Kiku's reaction to the burning of the _Tanchō_, along with the ship's crew. Kiku had already gone through that experience once, and being forced to go through it a second time had devastated him. It also fully explained Kiku's attitude towards him when Arthur had forced him to remember the incident on a daily basis. Kiku hadn't just been remembering that incident; he had also been remembering that incident from when he was a young child.

"Apparently I made you reconsider some of your past actions towards me, yes?"

"It made me reconsider nothing!" Arthur snapped back at him. Kiku had a smug expression and it was starting to irritate Arthur. "You deserved it! For everything that you have done, and are still doing, to my family!"

"Don't tell me you are still getting worked up over _that_." Kiku said with a sigh as he looked at Arthur. "You already got your freakin revenge and…"

"I haven't gotten my entire revenge _yet_."

"You really are a hopeless case." Kiku said with a small smile. "But I guess that stubbornness you posses…"Arthur backed into the wall as Kiku leaned closer to him. The he froze in surprise as Kiku kissed him. Even when he came out of the shock he couldn't do anything to shove Kiku off because the chains prevented him from doing so. Finally Kiku broke the kiss but instead of moving away he leaned closer so that he could whisper into Arthur's ear.

"All I want you to do is to understand my decisions for everything that I have done. Kiseki, or Peter, will remain with me and my family. The last thing I need is for him to be hunted down for the ruthless decisions of others. I know that you already told him, but he doesn't know that I know. He is probably waiting for the right time to ask me about his heritage and if what you said to him is true. I just want you to accept that he is better off with us and that he will eventually know everything. But I can't tell him nothing yet for the walls have ears and I don't need my brother to find out."

Kiku then moved and put his hands on Arthur's cheeks. "That is all I ask of you." Then Kiku leaned in and kissed him again. This time Arthur deepened the kiss and at the same time he hated the fact that because of the chains he couldn't pull Kiku closer to himself. Kiku, sensing that, moved his own arms and pulled Arthur closer. After a while they broke apart and they gazed into each other's eyes. Then, blushing, Kiku looked away and stood up in order to leave.

"Before I forget," Kiku said as he closed the cell door behind himself, as he once more avoiding looking at Arthur. "This is the last time you will see me for my brother has given the order for you to be transferred to one of Ivan-san's prison ships. It's for the best if Kiseki and I are not present when you are being transferred. The last thing I need is for my brother to begin suspecting of Kiseki."

"Does he know of the transfer?"

"No and I plan to keep it that way until…"

"Until what?"

"Nothing. Goodbye… Arthur."

**Author's Note:**

Alright! Here is the next chapter!

Hope I didn't confuse anyone!

The reasons for some of Kiku's past actions are revealed in this chapter. Hope that kind of clarified things a little.

Stay tuned! The next two chapters are going to be full of revelations!


	28. Incident of 5 Years Ago (Arthur's POV)

**Five Years Ago**

The _Mary Celeste_ calmly sailed through the calm blue sea. She was following at a safe distance another pirate ship, _the Regent_. They had left port a couple of weeks ago and were travelling in the Eastern side of the world, capturing any merchant ship that they encountered. The captain of the _Mary Celeste_ spotted another merchant ship and momentarily stopped in order to capture it and steal its treasures.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to stop?" Matthew asked as the _Mary Celeste_ left the merchant ship they had just raided.

"I'm sure father wouldn't mind if we delay a little," Alfred reassured him as they finished sorting everything out. "Besides it was a good thing we stopped. Look at all the fine silk we got!" Both brothers began checking out the silk, unaware that they were being watched.

"Seriously you two," both Matthew and Alfred jumped as they whipped around to face the source of the voice. "I asked you two to sort out our new loot, not to check out which fabric you want." Arthur said with a chuckle as he walked over to them.

"Sorry Iggy, but this has to be one of the finest silks we have ever gotten."

"Told you guys it was a good thing we stopped it before someone else got their hands on it."

"But still… shouldn't we have alerted father somehow?"

"I'm sure he has noticed our absence already." Alfred replied as they finished sorting everything out.

"I bet he did," Arthur replied as they made their way to the upper deck. "And he is either going to be waiting for us or he went on ahead."

"I hope he is waiting for us."

"Naw. Knowing him he probably went on ahead. So we better speed up."

The _Mary Celeste_ continued to travel in the direction they had been heading in order to catch up to _the Regent_. After a while it became obvious that _the Regent_ had zoomed ahead of them and the _Mary Celeste_ had no choice but to speed up in order to catch up to it.

"Are you sure we are even going in the right direction?" Matthew asked for the twentieth time.

"Of course we are. When was the last time we got lost?"

"Four months ago. We are still not skilled enough to make this trip _alone_."

"Lighten up Matthew!" Arthur exclaimed as he looked at his younger brother. "Besides at least we know where father is heading this time."

"That's what you said last time as well…"

"Don't listen to him Iggy!" Alfred exclaimed as he interrupted Matthew. He wrapped one arm around his brother and pulled him into a hug. "Besides I bet you are already getting ready to dump all the blame on us as usual!"

"I am not! And besides this little excursions are always your ideas, not mine!"

"Oh come on. The worst thing that can happen is father yelling at us and then he will forgive us."

"But first he will take the most valuable items we have in the hold."

"Which in this case it's the silk."

"Aw man!" Alfred exclaimed as he made a face. "I wanted to keep some of it."

"Hey! What's that?" Matthew unexpectedly asked as he pointed at something out in the distance. Arthur and Alfred turned and spotted what appeared to be a black cloud.

"Isn't that smoke?" Alfred finally asked.

"Father must have come across one of our foes," Arthur replied as the _Mary Celeste_ made its way to the source of the smoke. "He must have decided to set this one on fire as well."

The sight that greeted the _Mary Celeste_ was one that none of them would forget. _The Regent_ was there, burning as black smoke polluted the blue sky. They spotted two eastern ships at a safe distance watching as _the Regent_ burned in front of them.

"No!" Matthew was the first to react as the reality of the situation finally sunk in. "Father!" Arthur and Alfred just stood there in shock, none of them knowing how to react as Matthew turned and hugged Alfred. That snapped Alfred into reality and he began crying along with Matthew. Arthur then turned and hugged them both in order to consol them. They were beginning to quiet down when something caught his attention.

Through the smoke that came from the burning ship he spotted something beginning to move from behind the thick curtain. He narrowed his eyes as the object came out into the open. It was an eastern ship, completely painted black. The ship slowly moved out from its hiding place behind the curtain of smoke and it began to slowly circle around _the Regent_.

The twins were startled into reality as Arthur began shouting for the crew to get into their positions. Both of them glanced at Arthur who was now heading below deck. Noticing what their brother's intentions were they both quickly went to get their respective weapons as the crew began to get the ship ready. By the time Arthur and the twins return the _Mary Celeste_ was nearing the black ship.

"Fire!" At his command the _Mary Celeste_ began shooting cannons at the enemy ship, which immediately begin firing back as both ships closed the distance between them. When the gap was small enough Arthur and a bunch of his crew boarded the black ship. Almost as his feet touched the wooden surface he was immediately attacked by one of the enemy crew.

The person appeared to be a young boy of around 13 to 14 years of age. Arthur didn't get much of a chance to get a good look at him since the boy continued his assault on him. But he soon noticed that the boy had brown hair and brown eyes. At some point their swords were locked between them as they tried to knock each other off balance.

Arthur noticed the boy looked startled as he finally got a good look of his opponent. A mixture of emotions went through the boys face. First recognition, then shock and finally anger. Then the boy's face went emotionless as he shoved Arthur, pulled out a second blade, and continued to attack him. It didn't take Arthur very long to notice that the boy's intention was to kill him after one of the latter's blades missed his neck by a couple of inches. Arthur was quickly put on the defensive as he continued to block the boy's attacks.

_Geesh… What's this kid's problem?_

Acting quickly he pulled out his gun and fired at his opponent. The boy barely had time to react as the bullets hit their targets. Collapsing to the ground the boy shouted something at him as he grabbed his shoulder and glared up at him. Arthur kicked the swords away as he knelt in front of him. The boy used his uninjured leg to scoot away a bit before Arthur roughly grabbing the boy's hair and forced him into a kneeling position.

"So… what's your name?" Silence greeted Arthur as the boy maintained an expressionless face despite the pain he obviously felt due to the bullets. "Well then, do you understand English by any chance… _slave_?" The child's reaction answered his question as he laughed at the look on the boy's face. "Seems that you can. So can you tell me who the captain of this ship is?" Silence. "So you are not going to answer?" Again silence. "Fine then, I guess I will have to drag the answers out of you." Arthur said as he pulled out a knife and put it at the boy's neck. All he got was a defiant look that was challenging him to go ahead and do it.

"I suggest to let him go if you want to remain alive." Arthur looked up to see who had spoken. Another person of the enemy crew was standing there sword in hand. The only thing he could see of the person's face was his eyes due to the fact that he was wearing a black mask on his face. After quickly inspecting him Arthur realized that the person was wearing all black and he could see another blade that the person had.

"Who are you?" Arthur finally asked as he tightened his grip on the boy.

"The captain of this ship. And I am going to repeat myself one more time. Let the boy go."

"If that's your wish _captain_." Arthur said as he flung the boy away before standing up.

"Who you are and why have you dared to attack my ship?"

"My name is Arthur Kirkland."

"Kirkland?" The captain looked at him curiously at him for a second or two. "Oh I see. You are related to the captain that has recently been annihilated."

"How dare you attack my father you bloody wanker!" Arthur shouted as he attacked the enemy captain.

"What could you possibly mean by that?" was the sly reply Arthur got from his opponent as he calmly blocked his attack. "After all I am not alone."

"Do you mean the other two ships?" Arthur asked as his opponent dodged his attack and successfully cut his shoulder.

"Maybe. You never know. After all, jumping to conclusions is quite dangerous. You must get all your information straight before you do something reckless." The captain replied as they continued to battle. "But if you must know yes I did attack _the Regent_."

"So you were also the one that set my father's ship on fire?"

"And if I did what are you going to do about it? After all, what's done is done and there is no use to linger on events that cannot be changed."

"Bastard! I will make sure you pay for what you have done to our family!"

_As though Peter's and mother's death five years ago wasn't enough of a blow_

"Augh!"

"Sorry. Did I break your shoulder?" Arthur glared up at the sneering captain above him. "And why should I pay for today's events? Your father received his final judgment today. We have warned him for a very long time to stop his attacks on our ships. He didn't listen so he had to pay fire for fire." As he spoke the captain tied Arthur up, got off of him, and forced him to stand up.

Arthur just glared at the captain as he began shouting stuff in a different language. It didn't take Arthur very long to realize that his men had also been defeated. He heard someone else speaking and he turned to see one of the other ships alongside the black ship. Two people got aboard the black ship and walked over to them. One of them was slightly taller than the masked captain and he had brown hair and brown eyes. The other was taller than himself and had beige colored hair and violet eyes.

He was left in the dark as he heard them arguing in languages he didn't understand. But he had a feeling they were discussing him because the two newcomers kept glancing at him as they spoke.

"Fine then. If that's your decision." The brown haired man said in English as he looked at Arthur. "But wouldn't it be better if we get rid of this nuisance?"

"Da, it would be. But it's also his choice no?"

"It is. Well then. Finish up quickly. We shall be waiting." Both of them looked at Arthur briefly before they turned and left. His captor watched them go for a while before turning and shouting commands at his crew. Arthur winced as he was half-pulled half-dragged back onto the _Mary Celeste_. His crew, who were also tied up, were also transferred back onto the pirate ship. The captain then handed him to some of his crew and next thing he knew he was being tied to the mast of his ship.

"Be very glad I have decided to spare your life and the life of your crew." Arthur glared at the other captain who was calmly staring back at him. "Despite the fact that my companions wished otherwise. I would have agreed with them if you had severely harmed the child. You should be glad he is okay or else you would have joined your father in the fiery inferno. Men, let's go!"

"Don't think that this is over!" Arthur shouted and the other captain stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at him. "I will hunt you down and make you pay for everything that you have done."

"Then I guess I should look forward to our next meeting," was the calm reply that Arthur got. "But I will warn you I am not an easy person to catch. Until we meet again… Arthur Kirkland." With those words the captain got back aboard the black ship and the ship sailed back to the other two ships leaving the _Mary Celeste_ and her tied up crew.

**Author's Note:**

Sorry that I haven't been updating these past days! I have a final coming up and studying has been taking up my time. Plus making this chapter completely biased.

So this is the famous incident in which Kiku and Arthur meet. As you can tell a lot of important information has been cleverly left out. Don't worry I won't keep you in suspense for the majority of the information. But for some I will.

Stay tuned for the next chapter which will practically be this chapter but in Kiku's POV!


	29. Incident of 5 Years Ago (Kiku's POV)

**Five Years Ago**

The _Tanchō_ traveled swiftly across the sea following closely the _Xióngmāo_ and the_ метель_. An enemy ship had been spotted and everyone onboard the three ships were getting ready for the incoming battle. The _Xióngmāo_ was already within firing distance of the enemy ship and Kiku could hear and see that they didn't waste any time and were already firing at each other.

"Are we going to interfere?" Kiku turned to see Kaoru walking over. Like Im Yong Soo and Ha-Neul before him he was accompanying him in order to complete a section of his training.

"Yes we are going to." Kiku said as he turned back to the battle that was unfolding in front of them. By now the _метель_ had caught up to the _Xióngmāo_ and was already attacking the enemy ship.

"A pirate ship…" Kaoru murmured as the _Tanchō_ got within firing range and, at Kiku's command, began firing. Kiku noticed that Kaoru tightened his grip on the wooden railing as the _Tanchō _neared the enemy vessel.

"Don't worry Kaoru. Everything will be alright." _He probably still remembers that incident._

"I'm alright. When do we engage in combat?"

"When the order is given by nii-san."

"I hope it's soon."

"Looks like you just got your wish. Attack!" Kiku shouted as the_ Tanchō_ pulled up alongside the pirate ship, which Kiku quickly noticed was called _the Regent_. Kiku reached up and pulled down the mask he usually wore as he followed Kaoru. He quickly lost sight of Kaoru as they boarded the enemy ship and helped the others that had already boarded. The _Tanchō_ didn't stay alongside _the Regent_ for long and quickly pulled away in order to join the other two ships that were circling the pirate ship. The fierce battle continued both sides determined to not give in to the other. As he fought, Kiku remembered Yao's orders before they had launched the attack

_Remember that these people are our enemies. Don't show any sympathy towards them because they won't show any sympathy to you. This is the last time we are going to let that pirate get away with raiding and burning our silk ships. So even though I know it's going to be hard for you we cannot let anyone survive this time. I am also going to ask you to eradicate the ship. That should warn the others to not mess with the Eastern Empire._

_Obey the orders and everything will be fine._ Kiku told himself as he slew another person of the enemy crew. Eventually Kiku noticed that the battle was slowly coming to an end. After a while he spotted Yao fighting someone who appeared to be the captain of _the Regent_. Kiku was about to go join him when he spotted that his brother was fighting alongside Ivan.

_I'll leave those two then._ He thought as he headed below deck. _Meanwhile I have to get everything ready for when nii-san gives the order._ After making sure that all of the valuables were gone and that no one from their crews remained he waited until he heard the signal that meant that everyone else had gotten off the pirate ship. Immediately he grabbed the bottles of alcohol that had been left behind and threw them at the far side of the cargo hold. He pulled out the pre-prepared arrow and using a match lit it before firing it in the bottles direction.

Almost as soon as he released the arrow Kiku quickly fled to the upper deck. It was obvious the others had followed their section of the others because smoke already filled the air and he could see the flames when he reached the upper deck. Before he could flee back to his ship he spotted something moving.

"Kiku-nii! Hurry up! We can't stay here for very long!" Kiku turned to see Kaoru looking at him from the _Tanchō_.

"I want you to wait a bit longer! I spotted something." Kiku immediately moved toward the moving figure as he heard Kaoru shout something after him. Just as he reached the figure he heard Kaoru shout something else that he didn't catch. Kiku immediately recognized the person he had spotted as he knelt down next to the barely awake figure.

"Captain Kirkland." Kiku murmured as he took off his mask, despite the fact that the mask was shielding him a bit from the smoke that was now filling up the air around him. It looked as though his brother and Ivan had done everything in their power to severely wound him but at the same time to keep him alive.

_Nii-san said that everyone on board was going to be killed before the ship was to be burned. Then why did he keep the captain alive?_

"What do you want? I can tell my ship is burning. Why are you still here?"

"I am still onboard because there is something I wish to tell you. Do you recognize this amulet captain?" Kiku asked as he pulled out the amulet that he had taken away from Peter without the child's knowledge.

"That amulet… it belonged to my wife… she perished five years ago when the ship she was travelling on was attacked and sunk… why do you have it?"

"It's not what you think. My family and I were returning home after a business trip to the west. We came across a burning passenger ship and my brother's crew began to do everything to try and save anyone that might still have been onboard. While that chaos was occurring I spotted a child floating on a makeshift draft and I rescued him. I found this amulet in his pocket."

"A child? Was it…?" the pirate began coughing as the smoke began to affect him.

"Yes Kiseki, I mean Peter, is alright. He is back home in the Imperial Palace."

"Kiseki… you renamed him…"

"I did. I didn't want my brother to use him in the war that is going on between our families." Kiku began coughing as the smoke started to fill his lungs. _I have to go soon but I can't leave him like this. But if I try to take him to the _Tanchō_ brother will find out and he will questionnaire me and I can't put Peter at risk!_ Without thinking about it Kiku quickly found the small package of medicine that he carried. But before he could administer it to the pirate he was stopped by the weak grasp of the pirate's hand on his arm.

"Don't… I am almost gone anyway… even though… you are part… of _his_ family… I want you to do me a favor…"

"Shh. You shouldn't be speaking…" Kiku said as he took the pirate's hand.

"I… want you to… ensure that my sons… won't fall victim… to the emperor's… wrath… protect them… just like you have protected… Peter… can you… promise… me that…?"

"… I promise." Kiku said as he looked into the pirate's faded green eyes. The pirate smiled at him before his eyes unfocused and his grip loosened. Kiku tightly held onto the pirate's hand as he felt himself on the verge of tears.

_You remind me so much of my own father. Putting his children in the protection of a stranger. My father the sea and you… me._

"Kiku-nii! Where are you?"

"I'm coming!" Kiku quickly replied as he closed the pirate's eyes and picked up his mask. He looked up to see the _Tanchō_ closely circling _the_ _Regent_. He waited until his ship was close enough before he took a running start and leapt onto the _Tanchō_.

"Are you crazy Kiku-nii?" Kaoru asked as he wrapped Kiku in a blanket and at the same time ordered for the ship to pull away. "You could have suffocated! Why did you stay on board the enemy ship for?" Kaoru waited patiently as Kiku cleared his lungs of the smoke.

"I left something on the deck and it took me a while to find it." Before Kaoru could continue interrogating him they both looked up when one of the crew shouted that another pirate ship was coming their way.

"Orders?" Kaoru asked as Kiku stood up and both of them rushed to see where it was coming from.

"Everyone to your stations! We are attacking it but unlike _the_ _Regent_ we are not going to burn it. We are simply going to capture the ship and try to capture the crew _alive._ Is that understood?"

"Yes captain!"

"Fire!" Kiku shouted as the approaching pirate ship began its assault. Kiku quickly put his mask back on as the _Tanchō_ turned and headed for the pirate ship. Both ships quickly closed the distance between them and the _Tanchō_'s crew immediately went on the defensive as the enemy crew came aboard. Just as he had commanded his crew was quickly immobilizing the enemy crew and tying them up. He had just brought down someone else when he heard gunshots, accompanied by a shout of "Murderer!"

Almost immediately he began looking around, for he knew that none of his crew possessed those weapons from the west. He quickly moved and spotted Kaoru at the mercy of who looked to be the captain of the _Mary Celeste_ (he had spotted the ship's name when they had gotten close enough).

"I suggest to let him go if you want to remain alive." Kiku interrupted the enemy captain as he pressed a knife at Kaoru's neck. The captain looked up and Kiku quickly noticed the similarities between the person holding Kaoru and the pirate that had died in the burning ship behind them.

"Who are you?" The captain finally asked as he tightened his grip on Kaoru.

"The captain of this ship. And I am going to repeat myself one more time. Let the boy go."

"If that's your wish _captain_." The pirate sarcastically said as he flung Kaoru away before standing up.

"Who you are and why have you dared to attack my ship?"

"My name is Arthur Kirkland."

"Kirkland?" _Aw! So this is one of his sons! I can tell he is mad about the burning ship behind me. Looks like I am going to have to provoke him a little…_ "Oh I see. You are related to the captain that has recently been annihilated."

"How dare you attack my father you bloody wanker!" Arthur shouted as he attacked Kiku.

"What could you possibly mean by that?" _Don't tell him the truth. It's best to keep him at bay for now._ "After all I am not alone."

"Do you mean the other two ships?" Arthur asked Kiku dodged and quickly cut him on the shoulder

"Maybe. You never know. After all, jumping to conclusions is quite dangerous. You must get all your information straight before you do something reckless. But if you must know yes I did attack _the Regent_."

"So you were also the one that set my father's ship on fire?"

_So that's what he wants to know? Sorry but you cannot find out to the full extent of what happened here today._

"And if I did what are you going to do about it? After all, what's done is done and there is no use to linger on events that cannot be changed."

"Bastard! I will make sure you pay for what you have done to our family!"

_As if I have done anything to your family! But I am the emperor's brother so I guess I do carry some of the blame and blood that has been shed._

"Augh!" _I think I might have dislocated his shoulder a bit… hopefully I didn't break it…_

"Sorry. Did I break your shoulder? And why should I pay for today's events? Your father received his final judgment today. We have warned him for a very long time to stop his attacks on our ships. He didn't listen so he had to pay fire for fire." Kiku took advantage of Arthur's wounded shoulder to quickly tie him up and he forced him to stand next to him as he shouted commands to his crew. While he was busy ordering his crew around, he heard two other people calling out to him. Turning he spotted Yao and Ivan walking over.

"Oh. You two didn't have to come. I have everything under control here." Kiku spoke in Japanese to Yao who obviously recognized Arthur.

"Why didn't you kill him like we did to his father?" Yao snapped at him in Chinese.

"Yes, why didn't you?" Ivan spoke in Russian as he took Yao's side of the argument.

_Great. I am going to have to convince them to not kill them so that I can uphold the promise that I made._

The three of them argued as Kiku tried to convince both of them to spare Arthur and his crew from the fiery inferno that had occurred about an hour ago

"Fine then. If that's your decision." Yao said at last, in English as he looked at Arthur. "But wouldn't it be better if we get rid of this nuisance?"

"Da, it would be. But it's also his choice no?"

"It is. Well then. Finish up quickly. We shall be waiting." Both of them looked at Arthur briefly before they turned and left. Kiku watched them go before giving some more commands to his crew. Kiku almost winced as he heard Arthur quietly complain about the pain in his shoulder. The tied up pirate crew was already onboard the _Mary Celeste_ and Kiku handed Arthur over to some of his men so that they could tie him to the mast. He also spotted Kaoru helping despite the injuries he had sustained.

_I am going to have to make sure he rests before he can continue his training_.

"Be very glad I have decided to spare your life and the life of your crew. Despite the fact that my companions wished otherwise. I would have agreed with them if you had severely harmed the child. You should be glad he is okay or else you would have joined your father in the fiery inferno. Men, let's go!"

_Like I would ever tell any of you the real reason behind my actions_

"Don't think that this is over!" Kiku turned and stared at him. "I will hunt you down and make you pay for everything that you have done."

"Then I guess I should look forward to our next meeting, but I will warn you I am not an easy person to catch. Until we meet again… Arthur Kirkland."

_And hopefully you won't find me for a while. It's best if you stay away from me Arthur Kirkland. If we cross paths again and if Yao is with me… He won't hesitate to repeat what happened today. But if we do meet again one day… one day… I will reveal everything to you. That is a promise…_

**Author's Note:**

So here is Kiku's version of the events. I hopefully explained (and answered) some of the questions you guys might have.

This chapter did reveal quite a lot of stuff, but I am sure I raised some more questions. ^^;

So like I said before (in _Because I Love Him_) my college semester has ended so my updating will start to speed up again! Yay!

**_Xióngmāo:_**Panda (Chinese)

**метель:** Blizzard (Russian)


	30. The Prison Ship

"It's time isn't it?"

"Da, Yao-yao."

"Good. Get the prisoners then."

"Understood."

**APH**

"Kiseki!"

"Nii-san!"

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I heard Yao-san was headed for the port so I thought I could go with him before he left."

"The port?" Peter nodded as Kiku continued to calmly look at him. "I'm sorry Kiseki but Yao-nii left a while ago."

"He did?" Kiku smiled at Peter's disappointed look. Then he reached out and touched Peter on the shoulder.

"Don't be sad. I am sure he will take you with him next time. But surely you haven't forgotten you are accompanying me to the Southern territories today."

"Of course I haven't forgotten!" Peter exclaimed immediately looking excited. "I'll go get my stuff!"

"Meet me in front of the palace in half an hour!" Kiku shouted after Peter as the child excitedly took off.

"I will!"

Kiku smiled as Peter ran to get his stuff before turning and heading to the railing of the balcony on the second floor of the palace. He could already see the prisoner carriages leaving as they took all of the prisoners to the port and ahead of them were Yao's carriage leading the way.

_I'm sorry Peter. But there is no way I can allow you to follow Yao to the port today. After what you found out it's become more dangerous for you to be near him with Arthur around. Especially today. Now I better go and find-_

"Why are you so deep in thought Kiku-nii?" Kiku turned and looked at Kaoru who joined him at the railing.

"Some things, but they aren't important."

"You wished to talk to me?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you are able to read other people's minds or you are just good at appearing when you are needed."

"Neither, I am just good at sensing when people are about to go looking for me."

"No wonder you are one of nii-san's star pupils, but yes you are right I was going to go look or you right now. There is something I wish to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Something very important. Now come, we have around thirty minutes to get ready."

**APH**

Arthur looked around as he was roughly taken out of the carriage he had been riding in. They were back at the port that the ships had docked in when he had first been brought here. He could also see those ships along with merchant ships. Then his attention turned to the four ships that were the closest to them.

Two of them had the signs of being cargo ships while the other two had no markings that could be used to distinguish the type of ships they were. The only thing he could see from the angle he was to the ships was that they did have a name (it was written in bright red and orange) but he didn't understand the language it was written in.

_Those two must be the prisoner ships Kiku told me about._

He turned around as he heard a horse galloping over. It was one of Kiku's sisters, Meimei. Ignoring the prisoners she slowed the horse to a halt near the emperor's carriage. Arthur could tell that Yao looked surprised to see her. Then he was grabbed by one of the guards and he was forced to follow the rest of the prisoners toward the prison ships.

**APH**

"Meimei!" Yao exclaimed as Meimei dismounted the horse. "I thought you didn't want to come."

"I changed my mind."

"Where's Kaoru? He is usually with you."

"He decided to accompany Kiku-nii on his expedition to the Southern territories."

"That explains why they didn't come today either."

"Oh! Kaoru-nii and Kiku-nii said that they might take a couple months to come back. They both said something about looking for something very important."

"Did they say what it was?"

"No, those two are the masters of secrecy. All they did was bid me goodbye and a safe ride over here."

"Did Kiseki go with them?"

"Yes. He was looking very excited about the trip. Hope those two can handle him he is going to be a handful!"

"Yao-yao!" They both turned around to see Ivan walking over to them. "The prisoners are all in the ships."

"That's good to hear. This time for sure nothing can go wrong."

"Since when has something gone wrong? All of these operations have been a success, no?"

"I know, but this time I am getting rid of the pesky pirates that have been causing a lot of trouble for generations."

"Which is a good thing," Meimei said with a sigh as they watched the ships getting ready to leave the port. "They have caused nothing but trouble."

"That they have." Yao said as he turned to Ivan. "Ivan?"

"Да?"

"Wǒo ài niǐ."

"Я люблю тебя тоже"

The three of them stood there watching as the ships left. The procession went the way it always went, the first to leave were the two prison ships followed by the heavily armed cargo ships. Other people stood at a distance also watching the four ships leave. The crowd stood there silently as they watched the procession that had become common ever since the emperor had taken the Lord of the northernmost territory as his consort.

As soon as the ships vanished from sight the crowd quietly scattered in order to go back to their daily duties.

"Meimei do you wish to ride in the carriage with us?" Yao asked as he turned to his only sister. "I can have the horse tied to the carriage."

"I wouldn't mind Yao-nii." Meimei said with a smile as the three of them headed to the carriage. "At least now it's over."

"Yes it is."

"Да."

The carriage rolled back to the palace with the horse following behind it. None noticed the silent figure that watched them as they passed the tree where the person was hiding at. After watching the carriage vanish from sight the person turned and watched the ocean for a bit. Unnoticed they had stood there watching the people being forced aboard the death ships. Smiling they turned and headed to where the others were waiting.

"It's time…"

**Author's Note:**

Yay! I updated!

This story has a couple chapters left before it reaches its end.

So much mystery! Part of which is going to be revealed soon...

**Wǒo ài ni -** I love you

**Я люблю тебя тоже - **I love you too


	31. The Trio Return

The solitary pirate ship sailed across the sea on its way to the Eastern coast. It had been years since they had headed to said lands, but they had heard a rumor that Arthur and his crew had been captured by the emperor of the East. And now they were headed for the East in order to figure out a way to help them escape from the emperor.

"Are we headed in the right direction mon ami?"

"Of course we are! The awesome me never gets lost!"

"Twee!"

"I swear the only one backing you up is your bird." Antonio said as he joined them.

"Why shouldn't he?" Gilbert asked as he lifted his telescope again. "He has been with me for far longer than you guys."

"How do you even know where we are supposed to go?"

"I don't."

"What? Then why are you in charge!?"

"Because I am the only one that has an idea where they could be. Either in the dungeons of the Imperial Palace or the prisons of the northernmost territory of the Eastern Empire. There's a third option but it's best if it's not that one."

"Why not?"

"Because it will mean our search is useless and they are dead already."

"What!?"

"Que?!"

"Why do you say that? And so calmly too." Francis said as Gilbert turned to stare at them.

"You two remind me of Arthur. None of you know what the east is capable of doing if they catch an outlaw, especially if they are pirates."

"To be honest no."

"Eso si es cierto." Antonio said as he looked out to the sea. "It is true. We haven't been in this business long enough to say we know what is going to happen."

"Nothing at all? Not even rumors?" Gilbert was staring at them as though they had lost their minds.

"There _was_ that one rumor regarding-"

"Lifeboat ahead of us!"

"Huh? A lifeboat?" Francis said as he swiped Gilbert's telescope.

"Hey! I still need that!" Francis ignored Gilbert as he used the telescope to look. "There is a lifeboat and…!"

"Dejame ver!" Antonio said as he made a move to get the telescope.

"Bring us closer!" was all Francis shouted as he headed for the front of the ship, Gilbert and Antonio following him. Once the other two noticed what was going on did they start shouting orders as well.

"Here's the ladder." Antonio said as they threw a rope ladder and it was caught by one of the occupants of the boat. Several other ropes were thrown in order to haul the lifeboat aboard as its passengers quickly, but securely tied it before making their way up the ladder. Both passengers were helped onto the ship and the lifeboat followed them.

"How in the world did you two end up in a lifeboat? And where's your older brother? Why isn't he with you?" Francis demanded before the two passengers could recover.

"Give them some time to recover." Antonio said as he handed them blankets.

"It's alright, we aren't hurt."

"No we aren't, but do you have food? We haven't eaten in a while."

"Claro! Be right back!" Antonio said as he quickly left.

"How did you two end up in a lifeboat?" Gilbert asked after Antonio came with the food and the twins ate their fill.

"Well…"

"We were captured by the emperor of the east."

"That much is already known. Someone noticed and you know rumors spread fast." Francis said Gilbert inspected the lifeboat.

"We know," Alfred said with a sigh as he wrapped the blanket closer around himself. "We were taken to the dungeons that are located in the Imperial Palace."

"We aren't sure what happened to the others that were taken by the other ships that were there. But…" Matthew frowned as he concentrated. "One thing we do know is that they were taken elsewhere. The Russian Lord took them with him to the North."

"We were kept there for a couple of months," Alfred said as Matthew nodded.

"And Arthur?"

"He was with us at the Imperial Palace. But we didn't see him because he was kept apart from everyone and he was usually heavily guarded."

"A couple of months later some of the prisoners were saying we were going to be transferred to the prison ships of the Russian Lord."

"The death ships?" Gilbert asked as he looked up from his inspection.

"Is that what they are called?" Alfred asked as he glanced at Gilbert. "Because no one referred to them as that."

"Except that one prisoner that kept saying we were all going to die." Matthew reminded Alfred.

"The 'Death Ships' or the 'Ships of Death' is what those vessels are called in reality." Gilbert said as he leaned against the lifeboat. "'Prison ships' is what they are called in order to fool people."

"That explains a lot." Matthew murmured.

"We were transferred the day after the rumors started. The emperor and the Russian Lord were there to see us get sent aboard the ships."

"There were two of them, and there were people in them already."

"Not a surprise," Gilbert said with a snort.

"Twee!"

"The King has the tendency of sending the most notorious criminals to Ivan Braginski." Gilbert continued to talk with a smirk on his face. "Ivan is well known for having the best prisons in the world."

"I told you that was Ivan!" Matthew exclaimed as he looked at Alfred.

"I know," Alfred said with a sigh. "So Ivan is the emperor's consort."

"The emperor couldn't have made a wiser decision," Gilbert said with a shrug.

"Having the Russian Lord as his consort gives the emperor the upper hand since Ivan has control of the most militaristic territory in the east." Francis explained as he joined Gilbert.

"And being sent on one of his ships is totally unawesome." Gilbert said with a sigh as he touched the scorched surface of the lifeboat.

"We have no idea for how long we were onboard." Alfred said as he looked at Matthew. "But it was probably a week."

"And the conditions in the dungeons were far better than those on the ship."

"Oh and Arthur wasn't with us. We believe he was sent to the second ship."

"About a week later I woke up to the sound of screaming and smoke." Matthew said as he closed his eyes as he remembered. "Someone said that the ship was on fire and I could have sworn I heard the crackling of the fire."

"It became clear at that moment what the prisoner had been screaming about."

"We panicked with everyone else because there was no way we could escape."

"Apart from that we weren't anywhere near each other."

"I was trying to break free in order to get to Matthew since I was the closest to the flames." Alfred said as he wrapped an arm around his brother. "I never noticed the person when they approached me but next thing I knew I was blindfolded and someone spoke in a voice I didn't recognize. The person told me that he was going to help me escape with the condition that I didn't take the blindfold off."

"Someone liberated you?" Antonio asked looking surprised.

"Yeah and they kept such a tight grip on me that I ended up bruising." Alfred said as he took the blanket off and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and showed them the vanishing bruise. "Anyway the person at some point told me to stay put and they left me alone for a while."

"Unlike Alfred I noticed that someone was approaching me but I couldn't make out many features other than the fact that the person was shorter than me," Matthew continued as Alfred wrapped the blanket around himself again. "And they blended in with the dark. I couldn't see the flames yet but the smoke was becoming unsupportable. The person blindfolded me as well and they led me to Alfred."

"Then he told us to grab on to each other as he led us to the upper deck. By then the sound of the fire had become louder."

"We have no idea how close we were to the fire but we could feel the heat it produced."

"Then he told us to climb aboard something that moved a lot when we got into it. The person told us to count to thirty before we could take the blindfolds off."

"Which we did and we could feel the thing moving as we counted. It touched some sort of surface and then we could feel it moving in a different direction."

"When we took the blindfolds of we realized we were in that lifeboat and that the ocean was taking us away from the burning ships."

"We could see two other ships in the distance going on their way back to the east."

"Both prison ships looked like burning pillars."

"We don't know what became of the person or who they were."

"And we don't know Arthur's fate either and we are deeply worried that he didn't manage to escape."

"A hora que hacemos?"

"Do you remember from what direction the lifeboat took you?"

"Yes that way."

"Then let's go! The awesome me is still in charge!"

"But not for long mon ami."

"Si. No por mucho."

"Kesesese! We'll see about that!"

"Twee!"

**Author's Note:**

So here's the next chapter!

I did drop hints about the real purpose of the ships in a previous chapter.

Now I wonder what happened to Arthur and who the mystery person is!

Will update soon!


	32. Miracle and Chrysanthemum

"Isn't good to be back?" Kaoru asked as they got off the carriage that had taken them back home from their expedition.

"I wanted to stay longer!" Peter said with a sigh.

"Don't worry I'll take you with me the next time I go." Kiku said with a smile.

"You have returned!"

Kiku shrieked as Im Yong Soo groped him before pulling out a closed iron fan and used it to hit him on the head, hard.

"Is he going to be alright?" Peter asked looking at the twitching Im Yong Soo who was now laying face first in the dirt.

"He is, but he will have a huge headache when he recovers from the shock." Kiku said as he waved the fan around. "He keeps forgetting I carry both of my _tessen_ with me."

"Kiku-nii! Kaoru-nii! Kiseki-kun!" All three of them looked up to see Meimei running over followed by Yao and Ha-Neul.

"Meimei!"

"Good to see you guys are back safely."

"Yes and its good to be back."

"But I wanted to stay longer!"

"You will go back over there soon." Yao said as he ruffled Peter's hair. "As soon as your older brother finishes the next part of his training." Yao added as he looked at Kiku who nodded.

"Oh yeah," Peter said with a smile. "Kiku-nii is the next in line to be emperor."

"Ugh… my head…" Everyone's attention turned to the ground near Kiku's feet.

"Oh, Im Yong Soo. I forgot you were on the ground." Kiku said as he and Ha-Neul helped Im Yong Soo back up.

"Ow… what's that thing made out of?" Im Yong Soo said as he rubbed his head. "It feels as though you cracked my head open!"

"Iron and it's not a fan." Kiku said as he took it out. "It's a club disguised as a fan."

"That hurt…"

"It was supposed to and maybe it will help you learn to keep your hands to yourself!"

"Well at least we won't have any more problems with those pesky pirates."

"What do you mean Meimei-san?" Peter asked

"Um…"

"Oh Kiku-nii didn't tell you? All of the prisoners were sent to Ivan-san's prison ships a month back."

"They were?"

"Yes they were," Yao replied as he calmly looked at Peter.

"I'll take Kiseki back to his room; he is tired from all of the traveling we did." Kiku quickly intervened. "Come Kiseki." Kiku grabbed Peter's hand and led him off.

"Is it me or did Kiseki looked mortified." Yao said after Kiku and Peter vanished from sight.

"Probably because he got attached to the captain." Kaoru calmly replied as he looked at Yao. "He was the one that always went to feed him and he would hang out with him."

"Yeah Aniki." Im Yong Soo said.

"He wanted to find out as much as he could about the west." Ha-Neul added.

"And Arthur never did anything to him," Meimei said as she looked at Yao. "Arthur actually enjoyed Kiseki-kun's company as much as Kiseki-kun enjoyed Arthur's."

"I see." Yao said his face not betraying his thoughts or emotions. Then he smiled and turned to Kaoru. "Since Kiku is going to be with Kiseki I guess that leaves you to tell us how everything went."

"Of course sensei." Kaoru said as he and the others followed Yao inside.

**APH**

Kiku looked around before closing the door to Peter's room. Sighing he turned to see Peter sitting on one of the cushions that surrounded the small table Peter used.

"Kiseki…"

"Why didn't you tell me about the transfer?"

"Because you would have reacted much worse than how you reacted back there." Kiku calmly replied as he sat down next to Peter.

"But why did he send them to the ships?" Peter asked sounding close to tears.

"Because of whom they were." Kiku replied as he pulled Peter into a consoling hug.

"I barely got to spent time with him. Fate brought my long lost family to me only to tear them away!"

"Shh." Kiku said as he consoled Peter. "Lower your voice Kiseki. The walls have ears and Yao already suspects something but I hope he doesn't think much on the matter."

"But why!? Why is it so important that he doesn't find out my real name?"

"Because…" Kiku frowned and stayed silent as he continued to console Peter.

"Because?" Peter asked as he moved and looked up at Kiku.

"…" Kiku stayed silent as he grabbed a small piece of cloth and used it to clean Peter's face. "It's best if we drop the subject Kiseki."

"It's Peter."

"Shh." Kiku said as he put a finger on Peter's mouth. "Remember the walls have ears."

"I want to know everything." Peter unexpectedly said as he grabbed Kiku's face and looked into his adoptive brother's chocolate brown eyes.

"You remind me a lot of Arthur. But I guess it's finally time for me to tell you everything." Kiku said as he looked away. "But this is not the best place to be revealing such crucial information."

"Is there anywhere we can go where the walls won't listen?"

"There is no place in the palace that is safe from prying ears." Kiku calmly replied as he pulled Peter into another hug. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"It's too risky. I will have to get the people I trust the most to help."

"Um…"

"For now it's best if you take a nap for real."

"Why?"

"I am positive Kaoru came up with something but you can't act as though you are in deep mourning over Arthur."

"So I hide my emotions like you are hiding yours right now?" Kiku looked startled at Peter's remark and he stayed silent as he stared at Peter in surprise.

"Kaoru-san taught me how to be able to read people's emotions by looking into their eyes."

"I see." Kiku said sounding a bit nervous. "Um… could you hand me a paper and brush?" Peter nodded and went and got the materials. Kiku calmly began writing as Peter watched him. Then Kiku calmly finished and blew the ink dry before handing the paper to Peter.

"Kiseki."

"Yes?"

" I want you to do everything that's on that piece of paper. No exceptions or else the opportunity will slip by. Now I better go get the people I need, and you better take that nap before Yao notices I lied to him."

"Wakarimasu Kiku-nii. Arigatou." Peter said as he hugged Kiku who smiled and hugged him back before leaving.

_I hate lying and telling semi-truths. But I cannot lose another section of my life. I better hurry, for I fear that Yao is already suspecting the truth._

**Author's Note:**

So here's the next chapter!

_Tessen_ were folding fans with outer spokes made of iron which were designed to look like normal, harmless folding fans or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. Samurai and Ninja could take these to places where swords or other overt weapons were not allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the _tessen_ as a weapon. The _tessen_ was also used for fending off arrows and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an aid in swimming. The outer edge of the fan could also be sharpened so they could also be used to cut an opponent. The fighting style of using a fan is called _TESSENJUTSU. _

Wonder what Kiku is plotting...

Will update soon!


	33. Mary Celeste

_Last log entry from the journal found onboard the Mary Celeste after it was brought back from where it was found drifting in the sea._

We have been at sea for a week already. By now, everyone must have noticed our absence. Yao isn't going to be pleased but I had to do this since it was the only way for the truth to be known. I can tell he is going to be mad when we return but at least I have a backup plan to explain our unexpected absence.

I know for a fact that I _was_ supposed to take Kiseki on a trip to the West. But due to the fact that my new ship, _Tenshi_, is still under construction and it's supposed to be completed in a month… Either way there was no chance we could wait until then, and I knew Yao wasn't going to allow me to borrow the _Mary Celeste_ to make a trip across the ocean.

So far everything has been going okay. The weather has been on our side and I hope that in a couple of weeks, if not a month, we should be reaching the Western lands. I am still not entirely sure what we are going to do once we get over there, but I know some people over there that might give us hints of where to go so that Kiseki will know more about his past since I cannot explain everything to him.

But I am worried what will be the outcome of this expedition be. I myself am not so sure about what the entire truth is, or what will await us once we reach the West. The only thing I know for sure is that things will not go back to being what they once were. There has been too many things happening and too many changes for things to go back. Are things going to change for the better or for the worse?

One thing for sure though, Yao cannot find out what this expedition really is for. Ten years ago I told him that Kiseki couldn't remember where he lived and that his mother was his only living relative. He believed it when I managed to persuade Kiseki to go along with what I was saying. But I have been denying him the truth for so long, and it is finally time for him to know everything that has been kept hidden.

Even though I knew this day would eventually come I am frightened, for I don't know what Kiseki would do once he finds out the truth. I wish for him to stay with me where I can keep an eye on him and at the same time keep him protected from Yao. That is something he himself wants for the time being, but will the truth make him change his mind? Will he leave the palace and pursue the life that his family has lived for generations? And if he does choose that path will I be able to protect him from Yao?

The uncertainties of what is to come have me in a state of unease for a lot of things have been put in jeopardy with this trip. There's a possibility there are more forces involved in this than I am aware of. Some of those forces have been eliminated so they are no longer part of this strange game of cat and mouse. But even the eliminated forces are to be taken into consideration for the fact that once they were present makes them just as valuable as those that are still in the game.

I still need to give Kiseki the amulet that belongs to him, and that is an important key that needs to be kept on our side of the game. But, at the same time, I am not entirely sure in which side of this game Kiseki and I are going to decide end up on. Both sides benefit us and at the same time condemn us, but we cannot stay in the middle forever. I will simply trust Kiseki's knowledge and let him choose which side he wishes to be on, and it doesn't matter which side he chooses because I'll probably be with him on that side. But at the same time I wish that we didn't have to choose sides because I will affect us greatly for if we choose one side we will be betraying the other. Out of everyone that's in this game it is only the two of us that are in such a precarious position. Even those who are faking to be on one side but are really on the other are in a more stable position than us.

Even the crew that I assembled together have the right of staying in the center for they are expected to follow orders. And due to that there is a chance Yao might not punish them because I told them that Yao had given me permission to use the _Mary Celeste_ and I forbade them from going to ask him otherwise. They, apart from Kiseki, will be spared from Yao's wrath when we return. I am kind of hoping Ivan is there when we arrive since he is able to stop Yao from punishing us too harshly.

I will continue writing later. I can hear that there is some commotion going on in the upper deck. I hope it's nothing bad.

_A note was added to the bottom of the entry. It was written in a hurried semi-messy handwriting._

A ship has been spotted and it's moving in to attack us. Despite the distance between us I swear that I have seen that ship before… will finish writing when we get out of this predicament.

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for not updating! Spring semester has started and I actually have more classes (and homework) to worry about! And it's kind of hard for me to find time to update. But even if I don't update I am still typing all the chapters I still need to post! ^^;

Hope the chapter wasn't that confusing!

Next chapter will be up very soon!


	34. The End?

_Last journal entry in the emperor's journal_.

I was called in today in order to confirm what a lot of people had been suspecting. The crewless wandering ship that had been found at sea was indeed the _Mary Celeste._ At the time I had no idea where Kiku and Kiseki had run off to since they left without warning. I also found out that the _Mary Celeste_ had been taken away from where it was docked and it had quickly left the port and headed out into the dark sea.

I was also reluctant to believe that Kiku had taken the ship without my permission. I have known him for a long time and even when the truth was revealed to me I couldn't help but deny that he had anything to do with the ship's disappearance. Kaoru and the others were surprised when it was revealed that Kiku had indeed taken the _Mary Celeste_ without my consent, while I was forced to accept the truth that Kiku had indeed gotten a crew together and had taken the pirate ship on some unknown expedition.

All of us were shocked when the _Mary Celeste_ was brought back with no one onboard. The ship had signs that it had fought before it was found. But the most peculiar and strange thing was not that the ship was found with no one onboard, or that it had been used to fight at sea. It was neither of those things for the deck of the _Mary Celeste_ was decorated with scattered chrysanthemums.

The reason why the other two options aren't that strange is because they are self-explainable. The _Mary Celeste_ is a pirate ship so it is expected that she was attacked by another pirate ship or by one of those bounty hunter ships. The reason for the disappearance of the crew is that they were captured and are being held captive by the people that attacked them, or worse that they are somehow laying at the bottom of the sea. But why would the deck of the ship be decorated with chrysanthemums?

After reading the log that had been found on the floor of the captain's cabin I have realized that Kiku has been hiding a lot of secrets behind my back and I am suddenly starting to suspect that the suspicion I had a month ago about Kiseki might be correct. But I cannot jump to any conclusions until I get both of them back from wherever they are being held. I already had Ivan send ships to start searching for them on both sides of the ocean. I am also starting to mobilize my own search parties in order to help speed things up as much as possible. Im Yong Soo, Ha-Neul, Sakura and Meimei are all getting ready to leave as I am writing this. They are all going to set sail tomorrow morning.

I cannot personally leave for I must stay here and set things in working order before I can join them. Kaoru is staying behind because he offered to make sure everything would continued to run smoothly once I personally join the search _Tenshi_ has been finished and is being furnished and stocked as I write this for that is the ship I am going to use in order to help search for my missing siblings.

And yet I am wondering what Kiku meant by what he wrote in his log. How much stuff has he hidden from me and the others? I am suspicious about his reasons for lying to me about Kiseki's real identity for not even in his log did he reveal anything of extreme significance. He must have feared that the information might one day be found by someone he doesn't trust. And who are these people that he mentions that are apparently working for both sides of this 'game' that he mentions. And what are the two sides that he writes about?

With the pirate gone I was expecting that no more troubles would befall my family. But barely a month and a half later my successor goes missing along with my youngest sibling. What was Kiku thinking when he sailed to the West on a captured and well-known pirate ship? Out of all my adoptive siblings only Kiku and Kiseki came to me by the sea. And now it looks like the sea has taken them both away from me.

But why? What was the sea's purpose for putting them both in my path only to take them away from me? Why? Why did you have to take two of the people that are the dearest to me in the world? For what reason have you taken them both away from me at a time when peace has finally entered our lives?

But it doesn't matter. For I am going to go and get them back. The sea takes but it also gives. And it may have brought them to me only to take them away but I am not going to give up. I am going to search for them in order to understand the sea's reasons for doing what she does.

The sun is setting and Ivan has informed me that two of his ships have left already. This is good in order to ensure their safe return to the palace. In the meantime the report on the _Mary Celeste_ has arrived. It turns out that any supplies the ship had were also taken. Anything of value appears to have been stripped off the ship and she has minimal cannon damage that going to be easy to repair. I have ordered for them to carefully remove and bring to the palace all of the chrysanthemums that were scattered on the deck. It's time for me to leave now the others are waiting.

**Author's Note:**

Hope this chapter wasn't _that_ confusing!

**To be continued in ****_Time's Revelations._**


End file.
